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- Endnotes, Issue 25.3
Authors: CISR JMU
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:16:33 PDT
- Proof: How TIR Imaging Can Locate Buried Cluster Munitions in the Iraqi
Desert
Authors: John Fardoulis et al.
Abstract: In this article, we follow on from our previous work published in The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction that proved how buried thirty-year-old legacy anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines could be located using thermal infrared (TIR) sensors in the Sahara Desert, northern Chad.1 This time, the emphasis is on proving how the location of buried submunitions from cluster munition strikes in the desert of southern Iraq can be identified using TIR sensors.
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:16:28 PDT
- Environmental Soil Sampling and Analysis: Application in Supporting
Sustainable Land Use Practices in Areas Impacted by Explosive Ordnance
Authors: Bui Doan Bach et al.
Abstract: Assessing the humanitarian impact of explosive ordnance (EO) has been an integral part of the land release process for decades. However, rarely have environmental aspects been included, despite the fact that EO can impact the environment in several ways, adding to the overall humanitarian impact of the use of explosives.
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:16:23 PDT
- New Conventional EOD and IEDD Competency Standards for Mine Action: Notes
on T&EP 0930, 0931, and IMAS 0930
Authors: Roly Evans et al.
Abstract: In February 2022, the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) Review Board approved a fully revised Test and Evaluation Protocol (T&EP) 09.30 explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) Competency Standards. It also approved amendments to the accompanying IMAS 09.30 (subject to the approval of the IMAS Steering Group and Inter Agency Coordination Group) and the T&EP 09.31 IEDD Competency Standards. The approval marked the culmination of sustained work over four years since 2018 to update not only conventional EOD competencies but to add improvised explosive device disposal (IEDD) competencies suitable for mine action rather than traditional security tasks. The changes made are significant for field operations in the sector.
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:16:18 PDT
- National Capacity Building for Humanitarian Mine Action Activities in Iraq
Authors: Mark Wilkinson PhD
Abstract: In the last two years, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Iraq has conducted detailed research into its management and delivery of improvised explosive device (IED) clearance activities. Some of this research has already been published, providing a more detailed insight into how operational efficiency and effectiveness can be developed from models and tools derived from on-the-ground evidence. Much of this research has been shown to have real-world application. The purpose of this research has actually been quite simple: show that when methodologically sound observation and analysis are contextualized within an operational mine action environment there can be clear and demonstrable benefits in clearance output as well as value for money. For UNMAS Iraq, the results of this work have manifested in more sophisticated understandings of the operational environment, a logical basis for the structuring of clearance teams, and an evolution of procurement processes. In addition, this research has also driven a more innovative and open-minded approach to the delivery of clearance—see, for example, the recently published analysis of the use of mechanical equipment in IED clearance from UNMAS Iraq.[1] However, this research not only has value in terms of innovation and thought leadership, it also helps demonstrate a far more striking dynamic—that conceptual clarity can also directly drive evolution in the delivery of humanitarian mine action (HMA) activities.
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:16:13 PDT
- TNMAC's Victim Assistance Activities: The Mental Health Aspect of
Survivors and HMA Personnel
Authors: Reykhan Muminova; MD, PhD et al.
Abstract: Tajikistan, a State Party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) since 1 April 2000, contains a significant number of landmine victims and survivors. The Tajikistan National Mine Action Center (TNMAC) is using the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) Core for its data collection and reporting, including information on persons killed or injured by mines as well as their needs and challenges. This information is disaggregated by gender, age, and disability. Since 1992, the total number of casualties resulting from accidents with landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) is 885 (535 survivors; 350 fatalities).
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:16:08 PDT
- Mine Action in Afghanistan and Tajikistan: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Markus Schindler
Abstract: Rugged mountains, challenging road conditions, ongoing security concerns, and a fluctuating donor landscape present a wide range of obstacles to mine clearance efforts in Afghanistan and neighboring Tajikistan. The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) first entered the region in 2001 in the wake of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. Since then, the mine action sectors in both countries have seen significant progress and growth. FSD has been part of this process since its early days through its country programs in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, engaging in a variety of mine action activities including clearance (manual, mechanical, and with mine detection dogs [MDD]), risk education, stockpile destruction, and victim assistance. This article describes the contexts of both countries’ contamination and the ways in which mine action has been applied to mitigate the impact of explosive ordnance (EO). The article also explores the obstacles and challenges that mine action organizations face in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, respectively, and describes how they can be overcome.
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:16:03 PDT
- Mine Action and the Reintegration of Former Combatants: Expanding the
Debate
Authors: Laurie Druelle et al.
Abstract: In the last decades, humanitarian mine action (HMA) and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR)2 processes have increasingly been recognized as essential to paving the way for sustainable development thanks to their contributions towards human security, livelihood, and access to services. The integration between the two processes, however, has not yet been fully addressed in the literature or practice. This paper seeks to identify areas where DDR and HMA intersect and, supported by anecdotal evidence, suggest a conceptual framework for future research and implementation. Most importantly, we hope to widen the debate on the potentially synergic relationship between HMA and DDR, flag possible fallacies or oversimplifications, and challenge solely “top-down” approaches.
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:15:58 PDT
- Missed Opportunities: A Chance to Develop Synergy Between Humanitarian
Mine Action and Humanitarian Forensic Action
Authors: Patrick Nowak
Abstract: This article aims to identify the opportunities for synergy that exist globally between humanitarian mine action (HMA) and humanitarian forensic action (HFA) through the lens of their specific objectives. Moreover, it recommends how best to leverage existing touchpoints and establish networks between the two disciplines; explores the access and placement that can enhance both mine action and forensic objectives; shows how subject-matter experts currently remain underutilized in explosive mitigation missions and human remains recovery operations; and indicates how to remedy that through combined efforts.
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:15:53 PDT
- Integrating Humanitarian Mine Action and Humanitarian Forensic Action
Authors: Lauren Cobham et al.
Abstract: Humanitarian mine action (HMA) and humanitarian forensic action (HFA) have had a global impact in recent decades. However, these two areas could work more closely together in view of some of the contexts in which they operate. Often when HMA operators clear explosive ordnance (EO) after conflict, they find human remains, especially in urban areas. When human remains are encountered, operators have responsibilities to ensure that they are dealt with appropriately. When both HMA and HFA actors are present, there is a need for an increased awareness and understanding of each other’s role. Human remains should be returned to families without disruption or compromising humanitarian principles wherever possible and any relevant evidence assisting identification should be recovered. Similarly, when forensic scientists work to recover human remains, they may encounter explosive devices. When HFA operations encounter mines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), or explosive remnants of war (ERW) they should also actively enable HMA support. This article examines the extent of the cooperation to date and identifies ways in which it can be improved. Recommendations and practical measures are provided to encourage a higher degree of collaboration going forward.
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:15:48 PDT
- The Recovery of Human Remains in Weapon-Contaminated Settings: Towards
Guidance for the Mine Action Community
Authors: Lou Maresca et al.
Abstract: Mine action and forensic services are critical elements in the response to humanitarian needs during and after armed conflict. Mine action operators will work to identify, mark, and eventually clear areas contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). Forensic specialists and other related experts will be operational in the search for missing persons and the management of the dead by locating, recovering, and helping to identify human remains, while ensuring maximum protection, dignity of the deceased, and attention to their families.[1] These professions can often intersect in situations where human remains and explosive hazards are both present.
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:15:43 PDT
- Ukraine: Coordinating the Reponse
Authors: Greg Crowther
Abstract: The war in Ukraine has seen the use of ground and aerial weapons on a scale not seen in Europe for decades, causing immense devastation and human suffering. And the legacy of explosive hazards since the onset of the war, in the form of unexploded ordnance, landmines, and cluster munitions, will take decades to address. It’s a legacy that will kill and injure civilians long after the conflict has ended. This is not just a problem for the future, however but a challenge for the present: explosive ordnance risks civilian lives, hampers efforts to deliver emergency humanitarian aid, and prevents people fleeing to safety.
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:15:38 PDT
- A Note from the Interim Director
Authors: Suzanne Fiederlein
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:15:32 PDT
- The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Issue 25.3
Authors: CISR JMU
PubDate: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:15:28 PDT
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