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- 27.1 Endnotes
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:56 PST
- The Road Ahead: Clearance Toward Sustainability in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Authors: Sean Sutton
Abstract: The 1992-1995 Yugoslav wars resulted in landmines and explosive remnants of war that continue to contaminate the Balkans. In 2021—over 25 years after the end of the wars—the Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor considered Bosnia and Herzegovina to be the most explosive ordnance-contaminated country in Europe, and characterized the landmine contamination alone as "massive." As of March 2022, The Landmine Monitor reported that Bosnia and Herzegovina had more than 945 km2 of suspected hazardous areas (SHA) and more than 20 km2 of confirmed hazardous areas.
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:51 PST
- Gender and Diversity Mainstreaming in Mine Action: Where Are We in
Colombia'
Authors: Salomé Valencia Aguirre MD et al.
Abstract: Women, girls, boys, and men are affected differently by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) and hold different views on the challenges presented by them. Gender and other diversity factors, such as ethnicity and disability, condition individual views on vulnerability, needs, and coping capacities. This paper aims to identify the progress made by the humanitarian mine action (HMA) sector in Colombia toward gender equity and diversity through various methodological approaches and indicates that gender and diversity gaps persist. The greatest progress has been made in terms of policies and data disaggregation. We understand that public and organizational internal policies can contribute to equality; however, these should be reflected in both recruitment processes and differentiated approaches to mine action operations.
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:47 PST
- The Bigger Picture: Considerations Toward the Sustainable Localization of
Mine Action
Authors: Mark Wilkinson Ph.D. et al.
Abstract: DanChurchAid (DCA) is an international nongovernmental organization (INGO) at the forefront of mine action interventions globally. Currently working in nine countries around the world through projects that have a specific focus on the pillars of mine action, DCA supports a plethora of activities seeking to promote the delivery of an integrated programming approach across the triple nexus, bringing humanitarian interventions, development work, peacebuilding, and advocacy initiatives closer together. This approach is used to bridge the gap between policy and practice at all levels and ensure long-term impact and sustainability.[1] A key element of the DCA global strategy for 2023–2026 is the promotion of locally-led solutions to a range of humanitarian concerns via partnerships with local civil society actors. [1] See: DCA Global Strategy 2023-2026, pg. 10.
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:42 PST
- IMAS Levels of EOD & IEDD Qualifications
Authors: Drew Prater
Abstract: Explosive hazards have caused more than 238,000 civilian casualties over the past decade, which only increases the need for these hazards to be cleared.[1] Clearance takes time, thoroughness, and personnel properly trained and qualified to detect, identify, render safe, and/or dispose of these deadly devices. The International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) were written to provide basic standards for not only explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and improvised explosive device disposal (IEDD) operations, but also the required training competencies for each level of both disciplines. The different levels delineate the competencies and responsibilities, while allowing for additional subjects as an agency may see fit. [1] “Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas,” OCHA, https://bit.ly/3GZjjW8.
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:37 PST
- Inspiring the Next Generation of Humanitarian Mine Action Researchers
Authors: Madison Tuohy et al.
Abstract: Humanitarian mine action (HMA) is a critically under-researched field when compared to other hazards fields of similar societal impact. A potential solution to this problem is early exposure to and engagement in the HMA field in undergraduate education. Early undergraduate education emphasizing technical and social aspects of HMA can help protect lives by building a robust pipeline of passionate researchers who will find new solutions to the global explosive ordnance (EO) crisis. Early engagement of the next generation of HMA researchers and policy makers can occur through various classroom experiences, undergraduate research projects, and public outreach events. These include but are not limited to course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs); presenting research results at local, national, and international conferences; dissemination in edited and peer-reviewed publications; local community events; and through social media outreach. Early engagement, active guidance, and mentorship of such students by mid-career and experienced HMA scholars and practitioners could dramatically reduce the learning curve associated with entry into the HMA sector and allow for more fruitful long-term collaboration between academic institutions, private industry, and leading nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating across different facets of HMA.
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:32 PST
- Mine Action and the Triple Nexus
Authors: Markus Schindler
Abstract: In less than a decade, the term “triple nexus” has matured from the technical parlance of donor agencies’ policy papers to a widely recognized concept among aid workers. It advocates for closer integration of humanitarian aid, development, and peacebuilding efforts to produce combined effects. The five pillars of humanitarian mine action (HMA) are widely considered to contribute to each of the sectors that make up the triple nexus. However, there are many approaches on how to conceptualize HMA within the humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding nexus. This article explores three approaches and highlights their respective caveats before developing suggestions on how to improve triple nexus sensitive HMA programming.
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:28 PST
- When a Safety Measure Becomes a Risk Accelerant: Removing the Option to
Blast-in-Place When Clearing Explosive Remnants of War
Authors: Lieutenant Colonel Geir P. Novik
Abstract: The legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and abandoned ammunition following armed conflict will, in many cases, have a severe impact on society and daily life, even for years or decades after hostilities end. These explosive remnants of war (ERW) represent a grave threat in many aspects, and the human, societal, and environmental impact can be severe. These explosive objects must therefore be located and disposed of—a job in itself that involves serious risks. Therefore, various safety measures are implemented to mitigate these risks. Some safety measures, however, could prove to have less than the desired effect, and in the worst cases, could even increase the risk.
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:23 PST
- Safer Stockpiles: Developing Regional PSSM Instructor Cadres
Authors: David Häfner et al.
Abstract: This paper outlines the approaches of regional organizations and bodies in Africa, in particular the Regional Centre of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region, Horn of Africa (RECSA) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and their partners in developing regional physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) expert and instructor rosters based on a train-the-trainer program developed by the Multinational Small Arms and Ammunition Group (MSAG). This training has been designed to provide a baseline of best practices across participating states based on international standards, as well as a cadre of instructors able to design and deliver training across the African continent in an attempt to reduce the reliance on outside expertise. The information in this paper highlights the process of developing these programs and calls on national governments, as well as regional bodies, both in Africa and globally, to commit to supporting the continued development and deployment of the regional PSSM program and instructor rosters.
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:19 PST
- Mine Action in Support of Yemen's Peace Process
Authors: Josh Ridley
Abstract: Between April and October 2022, the two major parties of Yemen’s ongoing conflict, the internationally recognized government (IRG) and the de facto authorities (DFA), agreed to a truce brokered by the UN’s Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (OSESGY). A central component of the UN-brokered truce included the re-opening of roads around Yemen’s third largest city, Ta’iz, which all parties agreed to in principle. While an expected extension of the truce did not extend beyond October 2, there has not been a significant escalation in violence since the truce expired. The re-opening of roads in Ta’iz is likely to remain a key aspect of any future agreement.
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:14 PST
- Director's Letter
Authors: Suzanne Fiederlein
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:10 PST
- The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
PubDate: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:08:05 PST
- The Evolution of Physical Security and Stockpile Management: A Successful
Implementing Partnership Perspective
Authors: Lee Moroney et al.
Abstract: To avoid unplanned explosion of munitions (UEM) and to lower the risk of illicit diversion, the humanitarian requirements ensuring strong ammunition management structures, systems, and processes by states have been well documented in past issues of this Journal and other publications. These needs have led to the evolution of multilateral and bilateral support from donor nations that see the humanitarian value of supporting physical security and stockpile management (PSSM).
PubDate: Mon, 24 Oct 2022 06:54:34 PDT
- The Time Has Come for Digital Explosive Ordnance Risk Education
Authors: Robin Toal
Abstract: The increase in the number of civilian casualties from landmines and other explosive ordnance (EO) in recent years has driven the demand for new and innovative ways to provide communities with risk education. Additionally, with access limited by the COVID-19 pandemic, humanitarian organizations like MAG (Mines Advisory Group) have had to adapt their approach, focusing on digital explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) to reach individuals and communities affected by EO.
PubDate: Mon, 24 Oct 2022 06:54:30 PDT
- Mapping Unexploded Ordnance in Syria: Harnessing the Power of Open-Source
Authors: Hampton Stall et al.
Abstract: For over a decade, the widespread use of explosive weapons by all sides in the Syrian conflict has been well documented by a litany of public sources. Many of these explosive munitions fail to detonate as intended, thereby becoming unexploded ordnance (UXO) that threaten post-conflict recovery. To begin the process of clearing these explosive remnants of war (ERW), desk studies/non-technical studies can be utilized to initially assess the concentration and distribution of explosive weapons across a conflict zone, which in turn suggest the risk of UXO in an area. Traditional methods in non-technical surveys (NTS) focus on unweighted conflict intensity scores (counting the number of events) or after-the-fact munition detonations to determine current contamination.The authors propose a novel, nuanced approach to counting the number of munitions per event, not just the number of events. This new open-source weighted estimate (OSWE) method contains higher-fidelity data for analysis with more specific coverage across a larger geographic area than prior models. Using crucial and corroborated open-source investigation workflows, the authors created a nationwide assessment paradigm. In comparison with older models, we anticipate that the OSWE method of estimating UXO concentration is more useful across a greater range of geographic scopes through its leverage of big data, weighted nature, and data selection for events likely to generate UXO. The OSWE method also produces an estimate for UXO in Syria (a minimum of 100,000 nationwide). These are important findings, as more accurate estimates can be replicated across contexts, including in Ukraine.
PubDate: Mon, 24 Oct 2022 06:54:25 PDT
- How Can Mine Action Improve the Management of Free from Explosive (FFE)
Items'
Authors: Roly Evans
Abstract: Assessing and making items free from explosive (FFE) are among the most dangerous things we do in mine action and are perhaps the least regulated. Mine action operations use items that have been made FFE or INERT for training and demonstration purposes. However, the sector does not really have sufficient procedures or qualifications to assess items as certified free from explosive (CFFE), or to make items FFE/INERT. Assessing or making items FFE are explosive processes and should be treated as such more consistently within the mine action sector. This article will outline the current state of play concerning FFE items in mine action, some of the problems involved, and suggest some potential options for consideration.
PubDate: Mon, 24 Oct 2022 06:54:20 PDT
- The Deadly Legacy of World War II in Alaska
Authors: Kenneth Rutherford
Abstract: In the middle of the Bering Sea—closer to Japan than the continental United States and more than 1,000 miles from Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage—sit the Alaskan islands of Attu and Kiska. It was the summer of 1942, nearly six months after Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, that Japanese forces invaded these islands in what was some of World War II’s most brutal fighting and use of explosives.
PubDate: Mon, 24 Oct 2022 06:54:16 PDT
- Gender and Operational Efficiency
Authors: Raphaela Lark et al.
Abstract: This study explores the relationship between gender and operational efficiency in the context of staff in field-based mine action roles. The aim of the study is to address stereotypes and unproven assumptions that may still exist in the mine action sector regarding women’s performance and availability to work in certain field-based roles. Operational efficiency was investigated using two key indicators: individual operational productivity and availability to work. Operational and human resource data was collected from fourteen country programs from four separate mine action organizations across four continents. A quantitative analysis of the data found no meaningful difference in operational productivity or availability to work in field-based roles in mine action based on gender.
PubDate: Mon, 24 Oct 2022 06:54:11 PDT
- Clear then Grow: Integrating Mine Action with Food Security in Northeast
Syria
Authors: Katarina Cvikl Balić
Abstract: Over the past several years, considerable attention within the mine action community and in the wider development sector has been devoted to conceptualizing mine action interventions within the broader sustainable development goals (SDGs), or more recently, the so-called triple nexus. Aiming to find linkages between, for instance, clearance efforts and food security is not a new concept. This article, however, looks at the operationalization of these links through an integrated mine action and agricultural recovery program within Northeast Syria (NES).
PubDate: Mon, 24 Oct 2022 06:54:07 PDT
- A Brief History of Mine Detection Dogs
Authors: Roly Evans
Abstract: Since their first use in World War II, the use of Mine Detection Dogs (MDD) has been subject to ongoing debate. How effective are they really in finding mines' Are they really worth the expense they entail' As with so many aspects of modern survey and clearance operations, many of the lessons we continue to learn today have already been learned in the past. A brief history of the contribution of MDD over the past eight decades can help us put their performance into perspective and understand where they can add significant value, while also appreciating their limitations.
PubDate: Mon, 24 Oct 2022 06:54:02 PDT
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