Landmines constitute
one of the many serious problems facing the world as we enter the twenty-first
century, afflicting nearly one-third of the world’s countries, restricting
the potential of national development efforts, and impairing the realisation of
true human security within infested regions. The terrible impact of
anti-personnel landmines has since been recognised, however, and this
recognition has provided the stimulus for successful action on the part of the
international community, and for the development of crucial links between the
United Nations and civil society.
In recognition of the multi-disciplinary nature of mine action and of the
requirement for enhanced coordination, the United Nations Mine Action Service
(UNMAS) was established in 1997 to serve as UN focal point for landmine-related
issues and activities. The nature of this role requires UNMAS to play a central
part in all aspects of what is a holistic activity and, as such, necessitates a
proactive and focused response in terms of both policy formulation and
implementation, as well as in the reporting of findings and activities to the
broader community.
Policy development and coordination
In its capacity as focal point, UNMAS is responsible for ongoing policy
development and coordination with regard to United Nations mine action
activities. In 1998, in collaboration with ten UN departments, agencies, and
other concerned UN entities, UNMAS prepared a comprehensive document entitled
Mine Action and Effective Coordination: the United Nations Policy in
order to provide appropriate guidance for UN activities worldwide. Within the
context of this document, UNMAS has continued to further develop the principles
of UN mine action through the preparation of additional guidelines, such as
those published in 1999 pertaining to UN support to Government mine action
programmes involving collaborative arrangements with the military. These
policies are being further supplemented through the ongoing production of other
complementary clarifying documents such as a five-year strategy paper.
In order to facilitate the ongoing coordination of UN mine action, both
internally within the UN system and externally between the UN system and non-UN
partners, two mechanisms have been established to maximise the focus of the
international and UNMAS response. The Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine
Action and the Steering Committee on Mine Action were both created to further
this goal, and have achieved tangible results by providing opportunities for
consultation and the exchange of ideas. These bodies are chaired at the senior
management level by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations,
and at the working level by the Chief of UNMAS, with meetings taking place on a
regular basis to best ensure effective communication. There is also a close
working relationship between UNMAS and the Mine Action Support Group (MASG), a
collaboration of major mine action donors which meets monthly to develop funding
strategies and enhance international interaction with UN landmine-related
activities. A reinforced MASG, including donor representatives from national
capitals, also occurs on an annual basis with UNMAS providing updates and
briefings on current and pressing issues.
As a result of the First Meeting of the States Parties (FMSP) to the Mine Ban
Treaty in Maputo in May 1999, a programme of Inter-Sessional Work was
established to enhance coordination of the five key elements of mine action that
had been identified. UNMAS actively participates in this process, attending
meetings of the resulting Standing Committees of Experts and providing technical
briefings and other input as needed. This is seen as an ongoing responsibility
throughout the FMSP process, with anticipated requirements being to provide
expert advice both on implementation issues and their relationship with policy
development.
Additional conference activities also occur throughout the year, including a
UN meeting of mine action programme directors and advisors organised by UNMAS
and held annually in Geneva with support from the Geneva International Centre
for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD). This meeting provides a key coordination
opportunity by gathering key mine action practitioners in one location for
effective and in-depth consultations. This facilitates better information
sharing, comparison of techniques, lessons learned analysis, and news of
innovations at the management level, as well as an opportunity for direct
feedback between field personnel and those staff providing support at the
headquarters level.
Commitment to these and other fora provides regular opportunities for
reporting and coordination at many levels, ensuring a flow of information and
varied input into the development of United Nations strategies and policies at
the working and management level. UNMAS sees this as an ongoing and proactive
activity, enabling a focused response to identified needs within the mine action
community as well as in the development of future strategies and plans for
effective implementation.
Assessment and monitoring of the landmine threat
One of UNMAS’ main responsibilities is to assess and monitor the global
landmine threat, with a view to identifying needs and developing appropriate
responses in a systematic manner. Towards this end, 1998 saw five inter-agency
and multi-sectoral assessment missions conducted in Azerbaijan, Burundi,
Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen. In 1999, six additional missions were conducted to
Kosovo, Lebanon, Jordan, Ecuador, Peru, Zimbabwe and Namibia. So far in 2000,
assessment missions have been conducted in Egypt, Nicaragua, Zambia and Belarus,
and additional missions remain under consideration. The aim of these missions
is to define the scope and nature of the landmine / UXO problem in the affected
countries, identify constraints and opportunities relating to the development of
mine action initiative, and make recommendations for a comprehensive response,
including institutional arrangements for the coordination and implementation of
mine action activities. Technical missions have also been conducted on a more
limited scale in support of new and ongoing operations, with visits in 1998 to
Sudan, Iraq, and Guinea-Bissau, to Kosovo, Nicaragua, and Honduras in 1999, and
to Sierra Leone and Mozambique after floods there in 2000.
Completed assessment reports are widely distributed among governments,
non-governmental organisations, and other agencies and entities, as well as
publicly via electronic media, to enable a better understanding of the landmine
situation within the broader community. In this manner, potential donors and
the wider concerned community at all levels are kept informed as to the scope of
the problem and the particular needs created within affected countries, ensuring
more focused funding and support.
The implementation of Level 1 impact surveys is often a natural follow-up to
assessment missions, designed not only to identify the general location of mined
or suspected mined areas but also to measure the humanitarian and socio-economic
impact of landmine contamination. Such surveys focus on collecting information
for clearance activities and for mine awareness and victim assistance programmes
in support of a complete national response. The determination of priorities as
a result of this process allows activities and resources to be concentrated on
the areas of greatest need, in line with the UN policy of developing a
comprehensive profile of the landmine problem at a global level.
Towards this end, in 1999 Level 1 impact surveys were initiated in Yemen,
Mozambique and Chad, with a limited survey also being conducted in Kosovo in
response to the humanitarian crisis in that province. Further impact surveys
are projected for Thailand and Lebanon in the near future and in cooperation
with the Survey Action Centre, and in Cambodia with the support of the
Government of Canada. Funding is being provided by donor countries and the
United Nations Foundation for International Peace (UNFIP).
Programme initiation and programme support
Since the initiation of the first humanitarian mine action programmes in
1988, UN field activities in support of emergency situations, peace-keeping
operations and longer term, integrated mine action programmes have developed
considerably. While direct responsibility for the latter rests primarily with
UNDP, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
coordinates activities in Afghanistan, while the Iraq “Oil-for-Food”
Programme does so in Iraq. In this context, UNMAS is tasked with ensuring
global coordination of all activities and assisting in the establishment of
programmes in a growing number of situations. For all of these activities,
UNMAS remains involved in an advisory and monitoring capacity, acting as the
repository for central reporting and providing oversight of elements such as
standards and quality assurance.
At the country and regional level, UNMAS has maintained its role in terms of
coordination and integration, as well as implementation where required, to
ensure the global oversight of UN mine action. Within Croatia, UNMAS continues
to be directly responsible for the mine action programme, with the UN Office for
Project Services (UNOPS) acting as implementing partner. It is planned to
transfer this responsibility to UNDP this year, in conformity with the agreed
principles of the UN mine action policy for development of indigenous
capacities. Concurrently, humanitarian emergencies in areas like south Sudan,
Nagorno-Karabakh, and Abkhazia require careful monitoring and contingency
planning.
In Kosovo, UNMAS has demonstrated the transition undertaken from policy
formulation to implementation, playing an early and key role in support of the
humanitarian operations launched there in 1999. A Mine Action Coordination
Centre was established at the commencement of relief operations, with personnel
deployed directly from the UNMAS Headquarters to provide a start-up team and
ensure a coordinated and integrated response with UNOPS acting as the
implementing agency. The MACC has since exercised responsibility for the
planning and coordination of all mine / UXO-related activities, information
management aspects, the development of technical and safety standards, quality
assurance, and resource mobilisation for all entities active in the region,
including providing co-ordinating support to KFOR forces. These tasks have been
carried out in close co-operation with those international, non-governmental and
commercial organisations in country, enabling all to function successfully
within a coordinated work plan developed by the MACC.
UNMAS also continues to support mine action in the context of peace-keeping
operations as these requirements arise and forces are deployed, while also
maintaining a contingency planning role for any future crises. This has seen
support being dispatched to Sierra Leone and the coordination of assistance
within Tajikistan, while potential operations within central and sub-Saharan
Africa and within eastern Europe also remain under constant consideration.
Assistance for flood-related mine action within Mozambique has also been
facilitated with UNMAS support in 2000, as a result of the impact of heavy
flooding in many contaminated areas around the country. The inherently short
notice and unknown scope of such operations, however, continue to place pressing
demands on the limited resources available for such activities.
Additional planning commitments are also maintained for activities in Western
Sahara, where approximately 100 demining specialists were originally deployed
between May and November 1998 to verify and clear MINURSO deployment sites and
prepare the repatriation of refugees. As the political process there stalled,
however, the mine action force was subsequently reduced to an information cell.
This cell continues to collect and disseminate mine-related information, and
coordinate EOD and mine clearance operations conducted by Moroccan and Polisario
forces. The UN peace-keeping presence in Lebanon and Kuwait (UNIFIL and UNIKOM)
also pose similar planning difficulties, with EOD and clearance teams needing to
be available in support of the deployment of peace-keeping troops.
Information management
Given the scope of the landmine problem, the wide spectrum of factors needing
to be taken into consideration and the number of actors involved, the
development of an appropriate information management system has been a priority
for UNMAS. It has been apparent that such a system will greatly support and
enhance monitoring, planning and programme implementation throughout all mine
action activities, and will serve the needs not only of the United Nations but
also of other partners by providing a better picture of the worldwide landmine
threat. The initiative to create this Information Management System for Mine
Action (IMSMA) has been facilitated through an agreement between UNMAS and the
Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining.
Initial steps in the development of the IMSMA field module have been
completed and the module has been successfully deployed in Kosovo and Yemen,
providing a theatre-wide tool for the collection, maintenance and dissemination
of data on landmines and their impact. UNMAS is also providing ongoing support
to the provision of training courses to IMSMA users, while actively
demonstrating and advocating the use of this system to selected organisations,
national governments and other mine action partners. The IMSMA field module is
being made available to new and existing mine action programmes, with a view to
providing a benchmark system for the consolidation and use of landmine data in
affected countries throughout the world.
The development of the complementary IMSMA headquarters module is also
underway, incorporating both information processing and dissemination modules,
with additional tools such as the recently-developed Database of Mine Action
Investments also being included. The adoption of such a modular approach in the
development of the IMSMA system means that the product can be maintained as a
living and developing asset to the mine action community, with scope for
improvement and adjustment as the situation requires. In the same manner,
valuable secondary benefits are also making themselves apparent in the
development of enhanced headquarters databases and country profiling systems,
resulting in improved information processing mechanisms within the Mine Action
Service.
In addition to these projects, UNMAS is also in the process of re-developing
its World Wide Web presence in order to better serve the wider mine action
community and provide a clearer and more user-friendly interface with the
growing number of electronic media users. This will provide enhanced
opportunities for consciousness-raising and advocacy efforts, while also
providing better information to all levels of the international community. In
such a manner, information relating to UN mine action activities can be made
accessible to a larger, more diverse population.
Quality management and technology
UNMAS has remained committed to the development, maintenance and promotion of
technical and safety standards for mine action, expanding the scope and coverage
of available literature in order to ensure that coherent and clear reference
sources are available for guidance. These standards provide a benchmark for
future UN supported mine action operations, while also being openly available to
other users to ensure a clear understanding of internationally accepted
procedures and standards on all relevant issues.
Key among these efforts is the review of the International Standards for
Humanitarian Mine Clearance Operations, which were produced originally in 1997
as a result of working group consultations in Denmark the previous year. This
review process, conducted every two years, will see expert user-focus groups
providing input into a re-drafting of the document, reflecting new technologies,
experience gained and ongoing developments in the field. Commitment to such a
process will ensure that this effort remains current and applicable to clearance
operations both now and in the future.
To complement activities related to the development of standards, UNMAS is
also devising a policy framework for the overall standards and guidelines
process in order to ensure a coordinated and coherent direction for the numerous
projects underway. These include activities relating to clearance, surveys, use
of dogs, mechanical equipment, mine awareness, victim assistance and social
reintegration, as well as quality management. This document, to be created in
active consultation with all concerned partners and entities, is intended to
augment related policy documents and provide a further link between policy
formulation and implementation.
In this context, the training of personnel is also considered to be an
essential component of overall quality management. In a 1997 study, the United
Nations observed that “middle and senior level management skills are one
of the biggest challenges facing training programmes, and are central to the
task of developing an indigenous mine action capacity.” In collaboration
with UNMAS, UNDP subsequently conducted an assessment of the training needs of
national and local mine action managers in January 1999, with workshops being
developed to target appropriate participants.
With regard to mine action-related technology, there is growing acceptance
that a more universal application of existing equipment could enable activities
to be conducted more effectively, efficiently, and with less risk. UNMAS has
been called upon to take an important role in this regard through the collection
and dissemination of appropriate information and the development of applicable
standards, where required and practical. With the support of the Geneva
International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), UNMAS has drafted
International Guidelines for the Procurement of Mine action Equipment, with
results being discussed with all partners concerned. Future UNMAS directed
projects, implemented through the GICHD, will compliment this work and provide a
more coordinated approach to the ongoing development of new technology while
also ensuring that items currently in existence are assessed and utilised
appropriately.
Advocacy and consciousness-raising
Advocacy and consciousness-raising activities are integral parts of the
international effort to rid the world of landmines. In the past two years,
UNMAS has taken a lead role in support of a global ban on landmines and in the
development of materials that stigmatise the use of these weapons. More than
250,000 consciousness-raising materials, including posters, bookmarks, books,
videos and stickers with anti-landmine messages, in addition to the quarterly
United Nations Landmines Magazine, have reached up to 50,000
institutions, decision-makers and concerned individuals worldwide.
UNMAS has also developed minefield simulators and significant travelling
exhibitions as extremely effective awareness-raising tools, especially in
countries with little or no experience with landmine contamination. These
items, initially created for a conference in Tokyo in 1997, have since travelled
throughout the world, to London, Glasgow, Athens, Geneva, Vienna and New York.
An improved simulator is also under development, as well as a mine action CD-ROM
to be used as both an instrument of advocacy and a teaching tool. Grants are
also being provided to selected mine action programmes to develop public service
announcements for national broadcast.
UNMAS staff is also repeatedly called upon to support public conferences,
media occasions and educational activities throughout the world. These
occasions provide a key opportunity to interact with a broad and attentive
audience, to spread awareness of the issue and generate local grass roots
interest in achieving a solution.
UNMAS sees this role continuing and expanding through the use of developing
media and the global reach of current technology, while also remaining committed
to nurturing lower level development of consciousness raising activities. Close
partnership with the larger UN body has also offered opportunities to expand
this capacity through a number of joint high profile fora.
Resource mobilisation
The vast majority of UN mine action activities are funded from voluntary
donor contributions, making resource mobilisation instrumental to the success of
these endeavours. As UN focal point, UNMAS coordinates these resource
mobilisation efforts and manages the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine
Action, which acts as the central funding mechanism for many UN projects. Each
year a consolidated Portfolio of Mine-related Projects is prepared to
support this process, providing brief descriptions and budget requirements for
all UN mine action programmes and projects, including those implemented by UNDP,
UNOPS, UNICEF and other UN agencies or programmes. UNMAS also actively liases
with the donor community through a variety of regular and ad hoc meetings
and consultations to discuss priorities and funding gaps and to ensure continued
support of projects.
The Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action (VTF) was established
in 1994 to support the overall coordination of UN mine action, to finance the
initiation of new mine action projects and activities, and to bridge funding
gaps in ongoing programmes. Contributions received in the VTF amounted to
$300,000 in 1994, $16.3 million in 1995, $11.6 million in 1996, $8.1 million in
1997, $11.1 million in 1998, $11.9 million in 1999, and $4.09 million in the
first four months of 2000. Support has been provided by forty-two donor
governments and the European Union, with disbursements being applied to
programmes in nineteen severely affected countries.
Reporting on the use of these funds has remained a key issue for all
concerned parties to ensure the required level of transparency and to instil
confidence in UN funding mechanisms. This has been achieved through the
publication and distribution of regular updates and feedback on funds usage,
particularly in mission areas, which saw eighteen reports issued in 1999 to
seven countries, and an anticipated coverage of approximately sixty other
contributions in 2000.
Continued coordination
Even as lives continue to be saved and valuable assets returned to productive
use through the elimination of landmines, the success of mine action endeavours
remains dependant on the political commitment of the parties involved, on the
overall security situation, and on the effective co-operation of all other
parties willing to provide assistance. In its capacity as UN focal point for
mine action, UNMAS stands ready to facilitate and support all international
efforts in this regard.
Annex: List of United Nations Resources Relating To Mine Action
Internet Sites
United Nations Mine Action Service
(UNMAS)
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/mine
General Assembly Resolutions
Assistance in mine action. Resolution adopted by
the General Assembly at the 84th plenary meeting on 17 December 1999,
A/RES/54/191.
Assistance in mine action. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly at the
60th plenary meeting on 17 November 1998. A/RES/53/26.
Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain
Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have
Indiscriminate Effects. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly at the 79th
plenary meeting on 4 December 1998. A/RES/53/81.
Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and
Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and On Their Destruction. Resolution adopted by
the General Assembly at the 79th plenary meeting on 4 December 1998.
A/RES/53/77[N].
Reports of the UN Secretary-General
Assistance in mine action. Report of the
Secretary-General to the General Assembly at the 54th session on 6 October 1999.
A/54/445.
Assistance in mine clearance. Report of the Secretary-General to the General
Assembly at the 53rd session on 14 October 1998. A/53/496.
Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain
Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have
Indiscriminate Effects. Report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly
at the 53rd session on 16 June 1998. A/53/159.
An international agreement to ban anti-personnel landmines. Report of the
Secretary-General to the General Assembly at the 52nd session on 6 August 1997.
A/52/268 + Add.1.
Policy, International Standards and Guidelines
International Guidelines for Landmine and
Unexploded Ordnance Awareness Education. United Nations, 1999.
United Nations and the Use of the Militaries. United Nations, 1999.
Mine Action and Effective Coordination: the United Nations Policy. United
Nations, 1998.
International Standards for Humanitarian Mine Clearance Operations. United
Nations, 1998.
Study Reports
Study Report, the Development of Indigenous Mine
Action Capacities. UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs, 1997.
Anti-Personnel Land-Mines. A Scourge on Children. UNICEF, 1994.
Burundi. Inter-agency Assessment Mission Report. August 1998.
Ethiopia. Inter-agency Assessment Mission Report. June 1998.
Jordan. Inter-agency Assessment Mission Report. May 1999.
Lebanon. Inter-agency Assessment Mission Report. May 1999.
North-West Somalia. Inter-agency Assessment Mission Report. June 1998.
Azerbaijan. Inter-agency Assessment Mission Report. November 1998.
Yemen. Inter-agency Assessment Mission Report. September 1998.
Ecuador. Inter-agency Assessment Mission Report. November 1999.
Peru. Inter-agency Assessment Mission Report. December 1999.
Sierra Leone. Technical Assessment Mission Report. February 2000.
Zimbabwe. Inter-agency Assessment Mission Report. February 2000.
Namibia. Inter-agency Assessment Mission Report. March 2000.
Newsletter
Landmines. Demining News from the United Nations.
Magazine. Vol. 1.1 January 1996, Vol. 1.2 April 1996, Vol. 1.3 July 1996, Vol.
2.1 January 1997, Vol. 2.2 May 1997, Vol. 2.3 October 1997, Vol. 2.4 December
1997, Vol. 3.1 April 1998, Volume 3.2 Fourth Quarter 1998, A Special Issue April
1999.
Miscellaneous
Portfolio of Mine-related Projects. United
Nations. April 1999.
UN Terminology Bulletin 349, Humanitarian Demining, 1997.
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