The international
community has become more aware of the link between development, socio-economics
and landmines. Within the same community, a significant amount is known about
the location of suspected mine fields, but much less is known about the
socio-economic impact of landmines on communities. Without measuring impact, it
is difficult to develop effective strategies to allocate limited resources in a
cost-effective manner that seeks to minimize the human and economic costs
landmines inflict. If landmines are to be reduced, if not eliminated by 2010,
as envisioned by the Ottawa Treaty, rather than in decades or generations as
assumed in the early days of Mine Action programs, better information, including
baseline data to measure progress, is an immediate and unavoidable requirement.
Landmine impact surveys can provide this data.
Who Are We?
To meet this need, in a cooperative effort, the
NGO community, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the Geneva
International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), established the Survey
Working Group in 1998. The Survey Working Group (SWG) monitors standards and
facilitates the international coordination of resources and expert personnel for
the completion of the Landmine Impact Survey in countries worst affected by
landmines. The Survey Action Center was created with the aim of managing the
Global Landmine Survey initiative.
This initiative involves the execution of Landmine Impact Surveys (LIS) which
focus on obtaining not only information regarding the location of minefields,
but also information regarding the socio and economic impacts that landmines
have on local communities. Executed to a common international standard and
certified by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) the landmine impact
survey:
Allows donors to rationally allocate funds to places of greatest
human need as defined by impact on communities;
Permits national authorities to develop national plans focusing on
regions and areas of greatest impact; and
Gives implementers baseline impact data that will provide success
indicators for mine action programs.
Originally, the Survey Working Group (SWG) designated the Vietnam Veterans of
America Foundation (VVAF) to manage and serve as the fiscal agent for the Survey
Action Center. In February 2001, the SWG decided, in its Oslo meeting, to
create an independent SAC. SAC is an international organization with
headquarters in Takoma Park, MD, and registered in the USA as a non-profit
organization. SAC mobilizes resources and executes surveys in partnership with
international and national organizations. It also provides technical, planning
and operational support including training and data analysis expertise as well
as financial oversight to the surveys. SAC also serves as the focal point for
the Survey Working Group’s strategic policy function. In October 2001, at
the SWG’s Geneva meeting, SAC established a Board of Directors.
Much has been learned during the initial five completed surveys, not only
about the true definition of the landmine problem in surveyed countries, but
also about how impact survey information can be utilized to develop more refined
national strategic plans that link both mine action and development. The Survey
Working Group asked SAC to further the incorporation of impact survey data into
national planning processes and in response, SAC, in partnership with Cranfield
Mine Action (UK), has expanded the range of impact survey activities to include
a strategic planning process with stakeholders and host government officials
during the course of the survey utilizing survey data. SAC has also introduced
the Task Assessment Planning (TAP) where impacted communities are prioritized
through a multi-disciplinary plan for follow-on activities to minimize impact
through mine action and social and economic development projects. Greater
efforts are also being made to more closely integrate impact survey activities
with ongoing UN efforts at local capacity development.
The members of the Survey Working Group (SWG) are:
Association for Aid and Relief, Japan
Canadian International Demining Corps, Canada
Cranfield Mine Action, UK
Danish Demining Group, Denmark
Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, Switzerland
Geospatial International, Canada
HALO Trust, UK
Handicap International, France/Belgium
InterSOS, Italy
Landmine Survivors Network, USA
Medico International, Germany
Mines Advisory Group, UK
Mine Clearance Planning Agency, Afghanistan
Norwegian People’s Aid
Swedish Rescue Service Agency
UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS)
UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
UN Development Program (UNDP)
UN International Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, USA
How we do it?
Landmine Impact Surveys are initiated by the
United Nations when it recommends to SAC to send an Advance Survey Mission (ASM)
to a country to collect basic information for operational needs, preliminary
estimation of the extent of the mine/UXO problem and institutional arrangements
needed for a survey. At the completion of an ASM a proposal is written. It is
then the SAC’s responsibility to raise funds for the surveys. The
implementing partners are selected through a competitive process. SAC trains the
national survey supervisory staff and they, in turn, train the interviewers, who
are dispatched to the affected parts of the country to conduct the actual
survey. Survey data is entered into IMSMA and SAC analyzes the data for
reporting purposes. Throughout the period of a survey SAC provides technical
backstopping, monitoring and advisory functions. UNMAS provides a Quality
Assurance Monitor to ensure the survey is being conducted according to the
protocols set by the Survey Working Group. After the final report is written,
which includes comments from the host government, it is submitted to the U.N.
for certification and once certified, the final report is distributed worldwide
to donors, governments and other stakeholders.
Completed Surveys
Landmine impact surveys have been completed in
Cambodia, Chad, Northern Iraq, Mozambique, Thailand and Yemen. In 2003 surveys
will be completed in Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Eritrea, Ethiopia
and Somaliland. A brief description of each survey is given below.
Azerbaijan: This survey was conducted through the
Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) and the International Eurasia
Press Fund (IEPF) with oversight and monitoring from a SAC team based in Baku.
The European Commission provided funds for the survey through UNDP. UNDP also
provided vehicles and other equipment. The survey identified over 650 mine
suspected communities, of which, almost 85% were low impacted. The survey also
identified UXOs as a larger problem than previously known. The final technical
analysis report will be issued in October 2003.
Lebanon:The survey began in March 2002 with funding
from the European Union. The impact survey is being implemented in collaboration
with the National Demining Office through the Mine Advisory Group (MAG), with
technical support from the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF). Data
entry and analysis were completed in June 2003. The final analysis report will
be issued before the end of 2003.
Somaliland:With funding from the European Commission,
Finland, and Sweden, the UNDP/SMAC conducted a landmine impact survey through
the Danish Demining Group with oversight and monitoring from SAC. The survey
identified 357 affected communities, of which 45 were high impact, 102 were
medium impact and 210 were low impact communities. There were 276 mine/UXO
victims since 2001, of which 151 (more than 50%) were children 14 years of age
or under. A new gazetteer emerged as a byproduct of the survey which the
government of Somaliland adopted and it is also used by the UN and NGOs. Due to
security reasons, the survey was not conducted in the Sool and Sanaag regions.
The final technical analysis report will be issued in October 2003.
On going Surveys
Afghanistan: The survey in
Afghanistan began in June 2003 with funding from the European Commission through
UNDP and MACA. MCPA will implement the survey with oversight and monitoring from
a SAC coordination team based in Kabul. The survey is planned to be completed in
14 months.
Angola:The survey in Angola started in December 2002
with funding from the Government of Germany, CIDA and the U.S. Department of
State Humanitarian Demining Program. The European Commission has pledged to
support the survey. Under the auspices and support of CNIDAH, HALO Trust,
InterSOS, Santa Barbara Foundation, Norwegian Peoples’ Aid and Mine
Advisory Group will conduct the survey with oversight and monitoring from a SAC
coordination team, based in Angola. Cranfield University and Geospatial will
conduct the strategic planning exercise and Development Workshop will conduct
Task Assessment and Planning (TAP) for the survey.
Bosnia and Herzegovina:The survey began in November
2002 with funding from the U.S. Department of State Humanitarian Demining
Program and the European Commission through the International Trust Fund.
Handicap International-France is implementing the survey with support from
BHMAC. SAC has introduced the concept of “Task Assessment Planning”
(TAP) where communities once identified as high or medium will be prioritized
and a multi-disciplinary plan will be developed to minimize impact through mine
action and social and economic development projects. BHMAC is conducting a pilot
project using the TAP methodology. The data collection period will be completed
by October 2003.
Eritrea:The survey is directly executed by UNDP through
the Eritrean Solidarity and Cooperation Association (ESCA) with support from
Eritrean Demining Authority (EDA), UNMEE MACC and HALO Trust. Funding is
provided by the European Commission and the Government of Canada. SAC is
providing training, data analysis support for technical training. Data
collection will be completed by the end of 2003.
Ethiopia:The U.S. Department of State Humanitarian
Demining Program, the European Commission and the governments of Finland and
Norway are funding the survey in Ethiopia, which began in January 2002. The data
collection began in April 2003 and will be completed in October 2003. The
Ethiopian Mine Action Office (EMAO) is implementing the survey through the
Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA). SAC is providing training, technical
assistance and oversight. UNMAS has provided a quality assurance monitor.
Future Surveys
SAC is planning to conduct advance survey missions
in Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Georgia and Sudan in 2003.
More Information
Worldwide Web Site –
The Survey Action Center maintains a web site allowing access to survey
information referenced geographically. SAC’s website address is
www.sac-na.org.
Survey Action Center
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 240 Takoma Park, MD 20912, U.S.A. Tel: (301)
891-9192; Fax: (301) 891-9193 E-mail: sac@sac-na.org
Website:
www.sac-na.org
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