The
United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) was formed in October 1997 to serve
as the UN focal point for mine action and to support the UN’s vision
of:
“A world free of the threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance, where
individuals and communities live in a safe environment conducive to development,
and where mine survivors are fully integrated into their societies.”
At the global level, UNMAS is responsible for coordinating all aspects of
mine action within the UN system. At the field level, it is responsible for
providing mine action assistance in the context of humanitarian emergencies and
peacekeeping operations.
UNMAS and its UN partners operate within the framework of an inter-agency
policy formulated in 1998, which clarifies the principles upon which UN mine
action is based, and defines roles and responsibilities within the UN
system.[1] Last year, this
policy was complemented with a mine action strategy for 2001-2005, which
outlines six broad goals for mine action in general, and sets forty specific
objectives for the United Nations system in response to the global landmine
problem.[2]
The United Nations’ Mine Action Mission
Statement:
“Over the period 2001-2005, the United Nations will work in partnership
with others to reduce the threat posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance,
increase the understanding of the global mine problem, assist affected nations,
and coordinate international mine action efforts.”
These goals and objectives are intended to be complementary, rather than
hierarchical. Together, they form an integrated strategy.
The following report is an update on UNMAS’ activities and achievements
since the production of Landmine Monitor 2001 in the six areas covered by the UN
strategy: information; emergency response; assistance to national and local
authorities; quality management; coordination and resource mobilisation; and
advocacy.
INFORMATION
Information management is a central aspect of mine
action, especially because of the broad scope of the landmine problem and the
number of issues and organisations involved. UNMAS is responsible for
coordinating the collection, analysis and dissemination of landmine-related
information, and for the development of mine action information management
systems. It has entered into a collaborative agreement with the GICHD to
support this responsibility and to develop an Information Management System for
Mine Action (IMSMA) designed for mine action programmes in the field. Under the
arrangement, the GICHD is responsible for the development of the IMSMA software;
implementation and training in the field, technical support and project
management. UNMAS is responsible for providing guidance to the Centre for the
definition of the overall policy, scope, content, functionality and deployment
requirements of IMSMA.
In the context of this arrangement, a study was commissioned by UNMAS and
implemented through UNOPS in 2001. Its objective was to clarify the information
system requirements of users in the field. The study report released in June
2002 identifies and prioritises the needs of mine action programmes based on
extensive consultations and interviews with field and headquarters
practitioners. It identifies in particular a number of new functionalities that
should be made available to field programmes as part of their comprehensive
information systems.
The Electronic Mine Information Network (E-MINE) is another important
information management initiative taken by UNMAS in 2001/2002. E-MINE was
launched in September 2001, at the Third Meeting of States Parties to the
Antipersonnel Mine Ban Convention in Nicaragua. It is a public and freely
accessible website found at
www.mineaction.org, designed to support
the planning and co-ordination of global mine action activities by disseminating
reliable information on problems, programmes, resources, best practices and
technologies within the sector. A number of further developments to E-MINE are
planned that will include:
Country reports coming from the field through the Information Management
System for Mine Action (IMSMA).
Integration of the Stockpile Destruction Resource website that disseminates
information, papers, standards, and lessons learned about the destruction of
stockpiles.
Integration of the Database of Mine Action Investments that provides
information on the worldwide resources available for international mine action
assistance.
Integration of non-UN projects in the database of mine action projects, and
the development of a summary of ongoing funding shortfalls.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
In both humanitarian situations and in support of
peacekeeping operations, UNMAS is responsible for ensuring that there is a
coordinated UN mine action response. This often requires the immediate
deployment of personnel, followed by the deployment of equipment, to ensure that
the response is coordinated effectively. UNMAS is developing, in conjunction
with other UN agencies, NGOs and other partners, a Rapid Response Plan, which
will meet the requirements of emergency situations, and other scenarios where
the rapid deployment of personnel, equipment and a mine action capacity is
required.
During 2001-2002 UNMAS continued its programmes in the Temporary Security
Zone between Eritrea and Ethiopia, Sierra Leone and southern Lebanon, and
started up new programmes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), and Sudan. In Eritrea, UN
support has now led to an effective clearance and mine risk education capacity
and the creation of an Eritrean Mine Action Programme, combining all interested
partners into one single HQ location where coordination can be more easily
affected. Advice has been given to the Border Commission and how it should
safely place the border pillars. In Sierra Leone the UN involvement has
evolved into support of the Explosive Ordnance Action Office which now deals
with all mine-and UXO-related incidents. In Southern Lebanon, UN
assistance has been provided to the United Arab Emirates supported clearance
operations and quality control, while technical survey operations continue to
define the extent of the mine problem in the UNIFIL area of operations.
At the same time new programmes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, FYROM,
and Sudan were initiated. Programmes in the Sudan and DRC are, after
long periods of planning, in the early stages of development as opportunities
for action are exploited as they occur. Coordination cells have been
established and information is now being recorded in information management
systems. In FYROM, the problem is confined to UXO clearance of villages
to allow the safe return of inhabitants and the police. Local capacity has been
trained to assist with this. In Afghanistan, it became obvious in the
wake of the events of 11 September 2001 that the mine action programme had to
expand and receive greater headquarters support than in the past. To that end,
the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) invited UNMAS to
assume responsibility for the programme with effect from 1 June 2002.
Finally, in Kosovo (FRY), the UN programme was handed over to the
local authorities in December 2001 after the impact of the mine problem had been
successfully addressed within a two and a half year period. The UN’s
experience in Kosovo has demonstrated that with adequate resources and through
effective coordination, as well as inclusive, well targeted, planning processes,
mine action programmes can be matured to meet the needs of mine affected
countries and donors within a specific time frame.
ASSISTANCE TO LOCAL AND NATIONAL AUTHORITIES
Within the UN system, the primary responsibility
for assisting national authorities with the development of appropriate mine
action capacities rests with UNDP. As UN mine action focal point, however, one
of the main roles of UNMAS is to monitor the global landmine threat in order to
respond to problems in a proactive and coordinated manner. As a part of
UNMAS’s threat monitoring role, assessments are conducted in mine affected
countries at the request of the concerned government. Assessments and
fact-finding missions are usually inter-agency efforts that assess a
country’s mine problem and develop recommendations to address it.
In 2001-2002 assessment missions were conducted in Cyprus, Mauritania and
Sudan. The assessment missions often result in a requirement for a Landmine
Impact Survey to determine the impact of the mine problem on people living in
the area. Landmine Impact Surveys are under way or under consideration in
Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Lebanon, Somalia, and Vietnam.
QUALITY MANAGEMENT
UNMAS is the office within the United Nations
Secretariat responsible for the development and maintenance of International
Mine Action Standards (IMAS). These standards establish the principles that
should be followed to improve the safety and efficiency of mine action
programmes. They do not have authority until they are adopted at the country
programme level. Governments of mine-affected countries can adapt the standards
to meet national requirements, rules, and codes of practice. Donors can use the
standards as minimum contractual requirements when allocating resources for mine
action projects and programmes, and the United Nations and non-governmental
organisations can use the international standards as guidelines for the safe and
efficient implementation of mine action in the field.
The first International Standards for Humanitarian Mine Clearance Operations
were issued in March 1997. In 1999, the Geneva International Centre for
Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) was commissioned by the United Nations to conduct
a review of these standards, taking into account lessons learned and new
procedures. The resulting first set of 23 International Mine Action Standards
(IMAS) were made available in October 2001. They comply with a number of
international regulations, conventions, and treaties, particularly the
Antipersonnel Mine Ban Convention and the Amended Protocol II to the CCW. They
will progressively cover areas of mine action not previously addressed so far
such as mine risk education, mechanical clearance and mine dog detection. The
IMAS now forms the basis for the development of national standards that are
currently being developed in countries such as Cambodia, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Lebanon and Mozambique.
UNMAS is also involved in the implementation of field quality management
activities, particularly in relation to the Landmine Impact Survey process, and
has deployed Quality Assurance Monitors to assess compliance with the Survey
Protocols and to give guidance to the UN Survey Certification Committee on the
progress and conduct of the Surveys. Landmine Impact Surveys were monitored in
Cambodia, Thailand and Mozambique in 2001.
COORDINATION AND RESOURCE MOBILISATION
Coordination and resource mobilisation remain
central responsibilities of UNMAS. The Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine
Action (IACG), which brings together all UN entities involved in mine action,
continued to meet on a monthly basis to coordinate the activities of the various
UN partners and monitor progress against the five-year UN strategy. In addition,
the Steering Committee on Mine Action (SCMA), which includes the ICBL, the ICRC,
the GICHD and a number of operational NGOs in addition to the IACG members,
confirmed its value as a mechanism where country issues and mine-related policy
issues are discussed between UN members and other partners. The Steering
Committee has met twice in 2002, firstly in February 2002 to discuss Afghanistan
and the Rapid Response Plan and secondly in May 2002 to discuss the response of
agencies to the situations in Angola and Sri Lanka and the need to involve Non
State Actors in the mine ban process.
In February 2002, UNMAS organised the Fifth Annual Meeting of Programme
Directors and Advisers that was graciously hosted and sponsored by the GICHD.
This event brought together national mine action directors and their UN
adviser’s to discuss advances in mine action, and to exchange lessons
learned between programmes and Headquarters. This year’s meeting paid
particular attention to the need to develop national mine action strategies and
to strengthen linkages with our colleagues in the humanitarian and development
sectors. It was also used as an opportunity to sensitise programme managers to
advocacy and treaty implementation issues, and to hold discussions with the
donor community.
Since the vast majority of UN mine action activities continue to be funded
from voluntary donor contributions, resource mobilization is an essential
activity for the UN system. The UN portfolio of mine action projects was
launched in Geneva in February 2002 at the Programme Directors and Advisers
meeting. The portfolio provides a comprehensive overview of the UN's’
mine action programming for the year. Increasingly the projects within the
portfolio have been integrated within the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP)
managed by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which
assists in integrating the strategic response to mine action priorities within
the broader humanitarian sector. UNMAS also liaised closely with the Mine Action
Support Group, donor states, and the European Commission to ensure that there is
a coordinated response to resource mobilisation needs within the sector.
ADVOCACY
The UN five-year strategy places emphasis on the
role of the United Nations in advocacy for mine action related issues.
Accordingly, considerable attention has been given to encouraging states to
ratify, accede to, and comply with the international instruments concerning
landmines. UNMAS is an active participant, for example, in the Universalisation
Contact Group meetings held in the margins of the Standing Committee meetings of
the AP Mine Ban Convention. To further strengthen these efforts, UNMAS is
currently working with its UN partners to finalise a public advocacy strategy in
support of mine action. It is expected that the strategy will be finalised and
approved by the Inter-Agency Coordination Group before the end of 2002.
In addition UNMAS has been asked to assist the Standing Committee on Victim
Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration by facilitating a consultative
process to articulate a set of critical issues and to identify ways that the
Standing Committee could assess its future direction and contribute to making
meaningful progress by the time of the Review Conference of 2004. A broad range
of input was solicited from Standing Committee members and a variety of national
and international organisations. UNMAS presented a progress report in May 2002
and will present a complete report for the Fourth meeting of States Parties in
September 2002.
CONCLUSION
The United Nations has set itself an ambitious
schedule for the implementation of its Mine Action strategy for 2001-2005.
Whilst the UN system has been prepared to respond to critical new needs and
concerns, for example the situation in Afghanistan, the primary focus for the
year has been on achieving the objectives of the United Nations strategy. The
progress on implementing the strategy will be evaluated in 2003 and will involve
wide consultation with all United Nations partners in mine action.
[1] This policy was presented to the UN
General Assembly as part of the Secretary-General’s annual report on
Assistance in Mine Clearance dated 14 October 1998 (A/53/496, Annex
II). [2] This strategy was presented to
the UN General Assembly as part of the Secretary-General’s annual report
on Assistance in Mine Action dated 16 October 2001
(A/56/448/Add.1).
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