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FOCUS:
FEATURE:
PLUS:
FOCUS: Prevention & Clean-up of Unplanned Explosions
FEATURE: Asia & the Pacifc
PLUS: Notes from the Field and Research & Development
Issue 17.2 | Summer 2013
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Te Journal o ERW and Mine ActionCenter or International Stabilization and Recovery
at James Madison UniversityIssue 17.2 Summer 2013 | ISSN: 2154-1469
Print Date: July 2013
Journal o Mine Action (printed edition)Issue 3.3 through Issue 12.1: ISSN 1533-9440
Te Journal o ERW and Mine Action (printed edition)Issue 12.2 and ongoing: ISSN 2154-1469
Journal o Mine Action (online edition): ISSN 1533-6905
he Journal o ERW and Mine Action (online edition): ISSN 2154-1485
Upcoming Issue
Issue 17.3 | Fall 2013 (Print and Online)Focus: Survivor AssistanceFeature: Te Middle EastSpecial Report: SyriaVisit http://cisr.jmu.edu/journal /cps.html or more details and additional Calls or Papers.
ON THE WEB: http://cisr.jmu.edu/Journal/17.2/index.htm
Te Journal of ERW and Mine Action is a professional trade journal for the humanitarianmine action and explosive remnants of war community. It is a forum for landmine andERW clearance best practices and methodologies, strategic planning, mine risk education
and survivor assistance.TeJournal o ERW and Mine Action Editorial Board reviews all articles or content andreadability, and it reserves the right to edit accepted articles or readability and space, andreject articles at will. Manuscripts and photos will not be returned unless requested.
Te views expressed in Te Journal o ERW and Mine Action are those o the authors and do nonecessarily reect the views o the Center or International Stabilization and Recovery, JameMadison University, the U.S. Department o State or the U.S. Army Human itarian DeminingProgram.
Authors who submit articles to Te Journalare expected to do so in good aith and are solelyresponsible or the content therein, including the accuracy o all inormation and correcattribution or quotations and citations.
Please note that all rights to content, including photographs, published in Te Journal arreserved. Notication and written approval are required beore another sou rce or publicationmay use the content. For more details please visit our website or contact the editor-in-chie.
Tao GrithsMartin JebensAtle KarlsenEdward LajoieNguy
~n Ti. Ty Nga
ed PatersonVicki Peaple
R&D Review BoardMichael BoldCharles Chichesterom HendersonPehr LodhammarNoel MullinerPeter NganErik olleson
CISR Programming andSupport StaffKen Rutherord, DirectorSuzanne Fiederlein, Associate DirectorKaylea Algire, Fiscal echnicianDaniel Baker, Research AssistantGeary Cox, Program ManagerCarolyn Firkin, Program Support echnicianEdward Lajoie, Assistant Program Manager
Cameron Macauley,rauma Rehabilitation Specialist
Nicole Neitzey, Grants OcerJohn Meagher, Research AssistantSusan Worrell, Fiscal echnician
CISR Program AssistantsRina Abd El RahmanBrandy HartEric KeeerPaige OberJessie RosatiChristopher SheehyKatie Stolp
Please direct all Journalsubmissions, queries and subscription/CFP requests to:
Lois Carter Craword, Editor-in-ChieCenter or International Stabilization & RecoveryJames Madison University800 S. Main Street, MSC 4902Harrisonburg, VA 22807 / USAel: +1 540 568 2503Fax: +1 540 568 8176Email: cisreditor@gmail.com
ContributorsMarian BechtelDaniel BraunEmanuela Elisa CepolinaMichael CreightonAnna CroweBonnie DochertyJo Durham
Cover PhotoQuality assurance for the Underwater UXO Clearance of Lake Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia, is conducted by PED
Sava d.o.o., Kranj, Republic of Slovenia. The project was funded by the Ofce of Weapons Removal and Abatemen
in the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Political-Militar y Affairs (PM/WRA) under the project management of IT
Enhancing Human Security and implementing partner Republic of Macedonia Protection and Rescue Directorat
(RMPRD). During three unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance phases, RMPRD divers cleared more than 26,000 sq m
of Lake Ohrids bottom using underwater metal detectors and additional 30,000 sq m using visual detection. Altogethe
more than 19 tons of UXO were safely removed and destroyed.
Photo courtesy of Mr. Esad Humo, PED Sava d.o.o.
Mohammed QasimElena RiceKen RutherordAndy SmithAllen D. anBlake Williamson
To help save natural resources and protect our environment, this edition
of The Journal of ERW and Mine Actionwas printed on 30-percent post
consumer waste recycled paper using vegetable-based inks.
Like CISR on FACEBOOK at http://www.acebook.com/JMUCISR
Follow our blog on TUMBLR at http://cisrjmu.tumblr.com
Follow us on TWITTER at #cisrjmu
CISR Publications StaffLois Carter Craword, Editor-in-ChieAmy Crockett, Copy EditorHeather Holsinger,
Communications SpecialistJennier Risser, Managing EditorRachael ayanovskaya,
echnical & Content EditorBlake Williamson, Assistant Editor
Editorial BoardLindsay AldrichKatherine BakerLois Carter CrawordKristin DowleyJennier RisserKen RutherordRachael ayanovskaya
Editorial AssistantsDaniel BraunChloe CunninghamAlison DomonoskeBrenna FeiglesonPaul GentineMegan HintonEric KeeerPaige OberSarah PeacheyErica QuilliotineElisabeth ReitmanKathleen SensabaughDane SosnieckiJulie Anne Stern
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Editorial
3 Director's Message
4 Abandoned Ordnance in Libya: Treats to Civilians andRecommended Responsesby Bonnie Docherty and Anna Crowe
Focus: Prevention & Clean-up o Unplanned Explosions
8 Weapons and Ammunition Security: Te Expanding Role oMine Actionby Elena Rice
Feature: Asia & the Pacifc
12 Cluster Munition Remnant Survey in Laos by Michael Creighton,Atle Karlsen and Mohammed Qasim
17 Assessment o Vietnams National Mine Action Programby ed Paterson and Tao Grifths
22 Securing Health Care Rights or Survivors: Developing an EvidenceBase to Inorm Policyby Jo Durham
26 Association or Empowerment o Persons with Disabilities in Quang BinhVietnam by Nguy~n Ti. Ty Nga
30 Mass Fitting or Amputees in am Kyby Ken Rutherord
Special Report: Underwater UXO Clearance & Detection
32 Addressing Underwater Ordnance Stockpiles in Cambodiaby Allen D. an
Notes rom the Field
38 Going Mobile: Inormation Sharing and the Changing Face oDigital Data Collection by Edward Lajoie
41 Making It Relevant: Risk Education in DRCby Vicki Peaple
44 Land Release in Action by Emanuela Elisa Cepolinawith editorial support rom Andy Smith
Research and Development
52 A Stand-o Seismo-acoustic Method or Humanitarian Deminingby Marian Bechtel
57 Analyzing Functionality o Landmines and Clearance Depth as a ool toDefne Clearance Methodologyby Martin Jebens
Endnotes 64
Access a PDF or html version o The Journal of Mine Action,
Issue 17.2 with bonus online content, and all past issues o
The Journal at http://cisr.jmu.edu.
Dear Readers,
Tis issue oTe Journalcovers a wide variety o interesting andtimely explosive remnants o war (ERW) and mine action topics, in-cluding unplanned explosions and weapons security, underwaterclearance, survivors rights aecting Asia and the Pacic, and re-search and development studies.
For example, in an article by Elena Rice o the U.N. Mine ActionService, the author contends the mission o the mine action commu-nity must expand to include weapons and ammunition security. Dis-cussing victim assistance and disability rights o survivors in Asia
and the Pacic, Jo Durham (University o Queensland) emphasizesthe importance o securing health care rights or survivors in Cam-bodia, Laos and Vietnam, while Nguyn T Ty Nga reects on howthe Association or the Empowerment o Persons with Disabilities,which employs ERW and mine survivors as outreach workers in Viet-nam, successully helps survivors reintegrate into their communities.Allen an o Golden West Humanitarian Foundation discusses thethreat o contamination rom sunken watercra littering Cambodiasrivers and tributaries, and how Golden West is addressing the prob-lem by identiying and training suitable candidates or underwatertraining. In addition, the online edition oTe Journalhas additionalarticles, and we suggest you access our current issue online.
Besides producing this publication, the Center or InternationalStabilization and Recovery (CISR) is busy providing programs and
training at James Madison University and abroad. For instance, CISRrecently wrapped up our ninth Senior Managers Course in ERW andMine Action (SMC). Currently supported by the U.S. Department oState, the SMC provides mine action program managers an innova-tive and challenging curriculum covering a broad range o topics toimprove par ticipants management ski llsrom conventional weap-ons destruction, victim assistance, physical security and stockpilemanagement to strategic management, public relations and emergingtrends in the post-conict recovery arena. Tis year we had the hon-or o hosting 14 participants rom 13 countries, bringing our total tomore than 270 participants rom 46 countries, including the mine ac-tion and ERW sessions we conducted in Jordan and Peru. We plan tocontinue with the SMC program next year (check the CISR website inwinter 2013 or application details).
We are continuing our work with peer-to-peer support programsin Burundi and are moving into new areas o program management,including advocating or the rights o persons with disabilities inVietnam and providing mine risk education to Syrian reugees inthe Middle East.
As we share our lessons learned in uture issues o Te Journal,we encourage you to send us articles detailing your best practicesand lessons learned as well. Our all issue oTe Journalis an excit-ing one, ocusing on survivor assistance, a long with current conictsand the evolving landmine/ERW situations in the Middle East, in-cluding Syria. We look orward to hearing rom you.Sincerely,
Ken Rutherord
Directors Message
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EDITORIAL Abandoned Ordnance in Libya:
Threats to Civilians and
Recommended ResponsesIn a report released in August 2012, Explosive Situation: Qaddas Abandoned Weapons and the
Threat to Libyas Civilians, researchers rom Harvard Law Schools International Human Rights
Clinic (IHRC) examined Libyas abandoned ordnance problem and its humanitarian consequences
or the local population.1,2 Based on eld and desk research, the report documents the threats these
weapons pose, analyzes steps to address them and oers recommendations to minimize civilian
harm. IHRC co-published the report with the Center or Civilians in Confict (ormerly CIVIC) and the
Center or American Progress. In this article, two o the reports authors summarize its 2012 nd-
ings and recommendations.
by Bonnie Docherty and Anna Crowe [ Harvard Law School ]
Vast quantities o abandoned ordnance have littered
Libya since the end o the 2011 armed conict. 3,4 Mu-
nitions, ranging rom bullets and mortars to torpe-
does and surace-to-air missiles, have been scattered around
inadequately guarded bunkers; local militias have gathered
stockpiles in urban areas; and individual civilians have col-lected weapons or scrap metal or souvenirs. Determining the
scale o the problem is dicult, as Moammar Gadhas regime
acquired an arsenal worth billions o U.S. dollars. 2 Moreover,
the regimes weapons were divided among dozens o ammuni-
tion storage areas, each containing 25140 bunkers.5
Many experts express concern over the international pro-
lieration o these weapons, but the abandoned ordnance has
also posed serious domestic threats to civilians. Te report
Explosive Situation: Qaddas Abandoned Weapons and the
Treat to Libyas Civilians documents these dangers and ex-
amines the key activities needed to minimize them: stockpilemanagement, clearance, risk education and victim assistance.
As a oundational step, the Libyan government should create
a coordinated and comprehensive national plan eliminating
the government conusion generated by competing agencies
and acilitating the our areas o work.5 In addition, the inter-
national community needs to provide ongoing and increased
assistance and cooperation. Te prevention o more civilian
casualties requires urgent and immediate eorts by national
and international entities.
Threats to Libyas Civilians
During its eld mission to Libya, Harvard Law Schools
International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) documented
ve major threats that abandoned ordnance has posed to
civilians.6 Each o them has the potential to lead to additional
civilian casualties.7
Stockpile locations. Te positioning o stockpiles in popu-
lated areas coupled with poor management practices have in-
creased the risk o catastrophic explosions that would cause
signicant injury and death. In March 2012 a member o the
Military Council o Misrata, where this practice has been par-
ticularly common, estimated that in his city more than 200
militias each held between six and 40 shipping containers ul l
o weapons.8 In the same month, an explosion in Daniya, a
town 20 km (12 mi) rom Misrata, exemplied the danger. A
militia had stored weapons in 22 adjacent shipping contain-
ers, and a stray shot reportedly penetrated one o the con-tainers, detonating the ammunition in a chain reaction and
spreading explosive remnants o war (ERW) across the neigh-
borhood. A mine rom the blast later killed a DanChurchAid
deminer, and in late March the community was again using
buildings in the aected area.9,10
Curiosity. Inquisitiveness has urther endangered civil-
ians who visit contaminated sites or handle abandoned weap-
ons. Children are particularly curious and unsuspecting, and
they have oen played with munitions. A Danish Demining
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Group manager observed that children try to set o the anti-
aircra missiles with nails and bricks, and IHRC learned o
multiple casualties resulting rom such behavior.11
Harvesting weapons materials. Civilians have been killed
or injured while harvesting scrap metal to sell or explosives
to use or shing. For example, a man and his two sons died
during an explosion in the Zintan ammunition storage areawhile gathering scrap metal in December 2011. Te mans
amily later asked a MAG (Mines Advisory Group) deminer
to clear piles o collected metal and propellant rom the am-
ilys home.12
Community clearance. Since the conict, abandoned and
unexploded ordnance has contaminated homes, public build-
ings (such as schools and mosques) and armland. Eager to
make their communities saer, some civilians have tried clear-
ing areas without expert training or assistance, an activity
that endangers them and exacerbates the challenges o pro-
essional clearance.Displays o mementos. Finally, war museums and pri-
vate individua ls have put weapons on display. Te museum
in Misrata, located on the citys main street, has exhibited
a large collection o weapons in a relatively haphazard way.
Demining organizations have worked to make such muse-
ums sae; however, the museums have undermined risk edu-
cation eorts by normalizing the collection o weapons and
subsequently encouraging private displays, which deminers
cannot monitor.
Stockpile Management
Since the end o the 2011 armed conict, proper stockpile
management has been sorely lacking in Libya, but good prac-
tices are essential to minimizing the threats o abandoned
ordnance to the Libyan people.13,14 International organizations
and the national governments Libyan Mine Action Center
(LMAC) have worked together to conduct surveys, and some
local authorities have agreed to measures to improve prac-
tices.15,16,17 Progress has been limited, however. Unstable and
inadequately secured weapons have remained in bombed am-
munition storage areas, temporary storage acilities and mili-
tia shipping containers.
Poor stockpile management practices have abounded. Max
Dyck, the ormer U.N. Mine Action Service (UNMAS) pro-
gram manager in Libya, reported in July 2012 that ammuni-
tion storage areas, littered with munitions that were kicked
out o bunkers by NAO bombings, had no real security. 5 As
a result, civilians have had access to the weapons. Further-
more, local militias have used dangerous storage methods,
such as keeping dierent types o ammunition together and
placing stockpiles within populated areas. A reluctance to give
up weapons acquired during the armed conict has interered
with U.N. and nongovernmental organization (NGO) eorts
to improve management practices and destroy unstable weap-
ons. In addition, unding or stockpile management initiat ives
has been insucient, and coordination within the nation-
al government, between national and local government, and
among the militias has been inadequate.
As a sovereign state, Libya bears the primary responsibil-
ity or dealing with its stockpiles. W hile it is engaged in a time
o political transition and has many pressing concerns, Libya
Weapons ranging rom artillery shells to surace-to-air mis-
siles spill out o an ammunition bunker near Zintan that wasbombed by NATO in 2011. These unstable and inadequatelysecured weapons exempliy the danger posed to civilians by
Moammar Gadhas abandoned ordnance months ater the
end o the armed confict.Photo courtesy of Nicolette Boehland.
Curious locals explore a tank yard in downtown Misrata where an Egy
tian migrant was gathering scrap metal. Many civilians have been killeor injured while harvesting scrap metal or explosives rom weapons.Photo courtesy of Bonnie Docherty.
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should develop the national plan discussed above. In addi-
tion, it should take specic steps to reduce the humanitarian
threats caused by poor stockpile management. For example,
Libya should do the ollowing:
Allocate more resources to improving
stockpile practices
Increase physical security at ammunition storage areas
Prioritize coordination with militias to
move stockpiles out o populated areas
Initiate a program or building technical expertise
within Libya
Request international assistance to help put these
steps in place
Remedial Measures: Clearance, Risk Education
and Victim Assistance
o maximize civilian protection, a trio o remedial
measuresclearance, risk education and victim assistanceshould complement improvements in stockpile management.
Aer the conict, UNMAS and international NGOs took
the lead on clearance eorts.18 Tese groups, however, have
not received support rom the Libyan government, have not
had enough explosives to undertake controlled demolitions,
have had diculty nding sta with technical expertise and
sometimes have aced obstacles when accessing sites. Groups
have also expressed concerns about the lack o local capacity
to take over uture clearance activities.
International NGOs have played a role in risk education
and worked closely with local risk educators. Tey have held
sessions raising awareness o the dangers o abandoned ord-
nance and other ERW, distributed brochures, set up regional
ERW-inormation hotlines, placed billboards on streets and
created radio messages.19,20 Handicap International and MAG
told the IHRC team that they have also cooperated with the
Ministry o Education to train school teachers to provide risk
education.21 Tese NGOs have received some additional as-
sistance rom LMAC (part o the Army Chie o Sta s oce)
and the Libyan Civil Deense.17,22
Risk educators have aced several challenges, including
dangerous attitudes toward weapons, particularly among
children; diculties in reaching inuential audiences (espe-
cially women, who play a key role in educating their amilies
about ERW risks); insucient unding and the need to in-
crease capacity in Libyan civil society to undertake urtherrisk education activities.
As o July 2012, Libya had no established assistance pro-
gram dedicated to the victims o abandoned weapons and
other ERW. However, the broader assistance program or war
vict ims, which is run through t he Libyan Ministry o Health,
has helped those harmed by ERW.23
Libya, as the aected country, bears primary responsibility
or these remedial measures. In addition to developing a na-
tional plan, it should do the ollowing:
Increase its al location o resources
Promote capacity building and assist with the growth olocal civil society
Help deminers obtain explosives or ERW destruction
and acilitate access to contaminated sites or clearance
Ensure its victim assistance program ollows inter-
national standards articulated in the Plan o Action
on Victim Assistance under Protocol V on ERW to
the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the
Use o Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be
Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indis-
criminate Eects24
International Cooperation
and Assistance
Te our areas discussed previouslystockpile manage-
ment, clearance, risk education and victim assistancerequire
signicant resources and expertise, so international coopera-
tion and assistance is critical to protecting civilians rom the
threat o these weapons.
As o July 2012, the international community had provid-
ed more than US$20 million to address ERW in Libya, but
A visitor looks at the weapons on display at a war museumlocated on the main street in Misrata. Civilians may interpret
such public displays o munitions to mean it is sae to bringweapons into their homes.Photo courtesy of Anna Crowe.
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Anna Crowe completed a Master o
Laws at Harvard Law S chool in 2012.
Her academic interests lie in interna-
tional human rights law and interna-
tional humanitarian law. She works in
Bogot, Colombia, as a Henigson Fel-
low rom Harvard Law School. She
previously worked as a clerk to the
chie justice o New Zealand and as
a New Zealand government lawyer.
Anne Crowe
Human Rights Program,
Harvard Law School
Tel: +57 320 2720 163
Email: acrowe@law.harvard.edu
that assistance was decreasing while the
threats to civilians remained.25,26,27 o
address the situation adequately, Libya
needs increased and ongoing assistance.
During the conict, NAO launched
an estimated 440 airstrikes on ammu-
nition bunkers. Rehabilitating a sin-
gle bombed-out bunker can cost more
than US$1 million, not including secu-
rity walls, ences and lights, or clearance
o the ordnance scattered in the attack. 5
While nancial contributions are valu-
able, assistance can also come in the
orm o material or technical support.
As a result, all states, even those with
a limited ability to give nancial assis-
tance, should be in a position to provide
some kind o assistance.
NAO and its member states should
accept special responsibility to provide
cooperation and assistance to address
the abandoned ordnance problem re-
lated to bombed ammunition bunkers.
Although lawul, NAO airstrikes on
the bunkers contributed to the ERW
situation. NAO assistance would be
consistent with the emerging princi-
ple o making amends, under whicha warring party provides assistance to
Bonnie Docherty is a senior clinical in-
structor and lecturer on law at Harvard
Law Schools International Human
Rights Clinic (IHRC).She has extensive
experience doing eld investigations on
the eects o armed confict and spe-
cic weapons systems on civilians. She
was actively involved in the negotiations
o the Convention on Cluster Munitions
and has conducted in-depth legal
work promoting its implementation.
Bonnie Docherty
Human Rights Program
Harvard Law School
6 Everett Street, 3rd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138 / USA
Tel: +1 617 496 7375,
Email: bdocherty@law.harvard.edu
A shipping container that was part o a militia's urban stockpile exploded inMarch 2012, setting o a chain reaction that littered a Daniya neighborhood
with weapons. The painted message at the site reads, Dont come closer
danger, death.Photo courtesy of Nicolette Boehland.
civilians harmed in the course o law-
ul combat operations. Finally, such
assistance would be consistent with
the mandate under which NAO in-
tervened in Libyas armed conict: the
protection o civilians.
Conclusion
Due to the scale o Libyas aban-
doned ordnance situation, solving the
problem is a monumental task. Te
weapons have already killed or injured
civilians , and more casualties are almost
guaranteed. Libya and the international
community must thereore urgently de-
velop a coordinated response seeking to
minimize this humanitarian threat. As
a member o Libyan civil society told
IHRC, the country needs more cooper-
ation between all partiesall the way
rom NAO to the man who lives next
to the abandoned ordnance.28 I suc-
cessul, such coordinated action could
not only reduce the loss o lie in Libya,
but also serve as a model or dealing
with abandoned ordnance in other post-
conict situations.
See endnotes page 64
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F
OCUS Weapons and Ammunition Security:
The Expanding Role o Mine Action
by Elena Rice [ United Nations Mine Action Service ]
Signicant expertise is necessary to meet the security challenges posed by unsecured and poorly
stored weapons and ammunition. To address this threat, many donors and mine action actors, in-
cluding the United Nations Mine Action Service, are including weapons and ammunition security
management as a core role.
OOn 27 November 1944, an underground bunker
holding 4,000 tons o ordnance detonated at the
Royal Air Force Fauld underground munitions
depot in Staordshire, England. Te explosion was the larg-
est non-nuclear explosion ever recorded, leaving behind the
Hanbury Crater (120 m deep [394 ] and 1.2 km [1,312 yd]
wide). While the exact death toll is unknown, approximately
70 people died.1 ime and time again, accidental explosions
at ammunition storage acilities have caused death and de-
struct ion. For example, in Nigeria in 2002 an armory ex-
plosion claimed 1,100 lives. In 2012 in the Republic o the
Congo (ROC) 282 people were killed, and children at a near-
by school were spared only because the explosion occurred
on a weekend.2
Te human tragedy o these events highlights the impor-
tance o preventive measures against unplanned explosions.
The inside o a damaged ammunition bunker.Photo courtesy of the author.
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However, the immediate impact is compounded by what is
arguably a more widely catastrophic byproduct o improp-
erly stored stocks. Te medium- to long-term security threat
posed by unsecured munitions holds exponentially more dan-gerous potential or destabilizing countries and regions, with
serious implications or international peace and security.
Prolieration o weapons and ammunition during and
in the atermath o recent conlicts starkly reveals the
dangers o unsecured arms and ammunition. As Moammar
Gadhais government gradually lost control over Libya
in 2011, opposition orces and other groups gained access
to unsecured depots. Looted weapons have since been
traced to Gaza, Somalia, and West and North Arica. he
U.N. Security Council stated in December 2012 that the
continued prolieration o weapons rom withi n and outside
[the Sahel] threatens the stability o states in the region.3
Weapons prolieration uels insurgency, with the 20122013
crisis in Mali clearly demonstrating the impact o poorly
stored and easily accessible weapons.
Stockpile Security
With the U.N. General Assembly calling or practical
measures to mitigate this threat, the international communi-
ty increasingly recognizes the challenge and calls upon states
to make realistic assessments o the potential security risks
o their stockpiles, while appealing to states in a position to
do so to assist those with less developed capacity. 4,5 Ensuring
the physical security o storage acilities reduces the possibil-ity that these weapons will be removed and used or nearious
purposes, including as components o improvised explosive
devices. Te role o the mine action community in alleviating
this risk is apparent and the need to ocus resources into practi-
cal implementation in the eld is increasingly recognized.
Te United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in-
volvement in weapons and ammunition security management
draws upon its ability to contribute expert skills, specialized
equipment, and experience with explosive hazards. Several
UNMAS-implemented projects ocus on securing weap-
ons and ammunition rst and storing the materials second,emphasizing simple preventive measures such as perimeter
encing around ormal and inormal storage areas. For in-
stance, with the program in Misrata, Libya, UNMAS placed
secure storage containers inside the existing ammunition
storage areas (ASA), which were too large to secure quickly.
Implementing nongovernmental organizations (NGO) con-
ducted clearance inside the ASA to provide space, then add-
ed encing to increase security around the portion o the ASA
that was cleared. While extensive damage has already been
A damaged ammunition bunker in Libya.Photo courtesy of author.
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done in terms o weapons prolieration rom Libya to region-
al conicts, these measures, implemented at the local and
national levels, address the ongoing threat in the context o
Libyas eorts to restore public secur ity.
Te U.N. program in Cote d Ivoire represents a pivotal suc-
cess or mine action-driven implementation o weapons and
ammunition management. Te HALO rust (HALO), with
UNMAS coordination, worked with Ivorian security orces
to rehabilitate a majority o the countrys storage acilities.
National technical capacity was strengthened to such an ex-
tent that the state became a regional model or sae and se-cure ammunition storage and is increasingly called upon to
share experience and technical expertise. In a strong display
o SouthSouth cooperation, Chad, the Democratic Republic
o the Congo (DRC) and the ROC v isited Cote d Ivoire in 2012
to learn rom its experience and apply the countrys methods
in the implementation o their own national weapons and am-
munition management operations.6
UNMAS made strong headway in accessing peacekeep-
ing and political unds or weapons and ammunition man-
agement, successully advocating to the U.N. Department o
Peacekeeping Operations and U.N. Department o Political
Aairs that unsecured munitions threaten security and sta-
bility and uel terrorist activities. As a result, the U.N. mis-
sions in Cote dIvoire, DRC, Libya and South Sudan have
allocated specic unding to UNMAS or projects that ad-
dress security and storage. UNMAS has in turn coordinat-
ed and implemented these activities through NGOs, such as
HALO, MAG (Mines Advisory Group) and t he Swedish Civil
Contingencies Agency. As circumstances demonstrate the ne-
cessity or similar projects in Mali and other conict-aected
countries, the trend o including weapons and ammunition
security management unding in peacekeeping budgets will
likely continue.
The Expanding Role o Mine Action
he term mine action implies that the work ocuses sole-
ly on landmines . Many states a nd NGOs have long advocat-
ed that explosive remnants o war (ERW) and small arms/
light weapons (SA/LW) need to be looked at in un ison. For
Libyan stockpile with artillery shells and a man-portable air-deense system (MANPADS).Photo courtesy of Nathan Beriro.
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example, the U.S. Department o State
initiated a comprehensive approach
to conventional weapons destruction
(CWD) incorporating mines, ERW
and SA/LW, as well as physical securi-
ty and stockpile management (PSSM)
with the consolidation o s everal relat-
ed oices into the Oice o Weapons
Removal and Abatement in 2003; other
states have also adopted t his approach.
An important step in educating
the disarmament-ocused diplomat-
ic community was the participation
o UNMAS and several mine action
NGOs, including MAG and Handicap
International, in the Programme o
Action on SA/LW in September 2012.
1
For instance, UNMAS presented a side
event at the conerence: Preventing
big bangs and saving lives ocused on
UNMAS work in Cote dIvoire and
Libya. Practical implementation les-
sons: armory and stockpile assessment
in Arica was organized by the U.K.s
Foreign and Commonwealth Oce and
MAG. Tese eorts represent progress
in encouraging member states to adopt
an expanded mine action role. However,more remains to be done beore the mine
action community is recognized as a key
implementer, supporting the weapons
and ammunition management agenda.
All mine action actors are responsible
or lobbying, advocacy and re-branding
their wide range o work (to include all
mine action, CWD, PSSM, SA/LW and
weapons security issues) as critical or
both security and development.
Second, sucient and sustainedunding is essential to the predictability
and eectiveness o interventions; how-
ever, gaining access to unds remains a
challenge or those implementing mine
action. Mine action implementers must
continue to engage in outreach eorts,
establish new links with these entities
and lobby states likely to und projects
in aected states.
Mine action work has traditionally
been unded through a dedicated gov-
ernmental department or mine action
or by oces dealing with humanitar-
ian unding. Meanwhile resources or
weapons and ammunition management
projects are requently derived rom di-
erent departments ocusing on disar-
mament, nonprolieration, security and
stabilization. Clear exceptions exist, or
example the U.S. State Department has
consolidated CWD and PSSM und-
ing in one combined budget. Likewise
U.K.s Department or International De-
velopment has generously unded arms
and ammunition management along-
side conventional mine action in com-
bined projects. We hope that this trend
will continue.
By securing weapons and ammuni-
tion, the mine action community can
prevent their prolieration and misuse
by nonstate actors. Tis role or mine ac-
tion is becoming increasingly recog-
nized by U.N. member states. However,
more work remains, including accessing
new resource pools and expanding or
re-branding the mine action mission tocorrespond with the widening spectrum
o its activities. UNMAS stands ready to
assist with these eorts.
See endnotes page 64
Te views expressed in this article are
those o the author and do not necessarily
represent the views o the United Nations.
Elena Rice began her mine action ca-
reer in 2006 with the United Nations
Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in South
Sudan. She has worked or UNMAS in
Aghanistan and in Gaza in the ater-
math o Operation Cast Lead. Currently,
she works in New York as special ad-
viser to the UNMAS director. Originally
rom Belast, Northern Ireland, Rice
holds two masters degrees rom the
University o Edinburgh in the U.K.
Elena Rice
Special Adviser to the Director
United Nations Mine Action Service
DC1, 760 U.N. Plaza
New York, NY 10017 / USATel: + 212 963 6975
Email: ricee@un.org
Skype: elena.rice
Website: www.mineaction.org
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Cluster Munition Remnant Surveyin Laos
As the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world, clearance o cluster munition remnants
is a long and ongoing process in Laos. Norwegian Peoples Aid developed survey methodology to
address the unique challenges posed by cluster munition contamination.
by Michael Creighton, Atle Karlsen and Mohammed Qasim [ Nor wegian Peoples Aid ]
he clearance community traditionally uses struc-
tured surveys to locate and evaluate the extent o
contamination rom cluster munitions and explosive
remnants o war (ERW). However, Norwegian Peoples Aids(NPA) involvement in Southeast Asia over the last ew years
suggests current practices should be analyzed or eective-
ness and subsequently updated. raditional practices ocus
on battle area clearance and all types o unexploded ordnance
(UXO). In Cambodia, Laos a nd Vietnam, NPA ocuses on the
more commonly occuring cluster munition remnants (CMR)
in its method or UXO clearance. However, NPAs method still
considers and incorporates ecient ways to detect other UXO
and ERW.
When trying to dene the extent o the
problem with surveys, CMR present a dierent
challenge than landmines. CMR have uniquecharacteristics, which dier rom other types
o UXO and landmines.1,2 For instance, due to
the lack o extensive ground warare in Laos,
the incidence o considerable ragmentation
aecting detector use is inrequent and man-
ageable. CMR also all into more identiable
patterns than other UXO due to the deploy-
ment method. Tese patterns can be searched
or during echnical Survey (S). Additional ly,
CMR have a relatively high ailure rate, making
the pattern o deployment identiable in waysthat mines are not.
Te duration o CMR contamination can
also aect a traditional surveys ability to dene
the problem. Recent cluster munition strikes
may provide clear ootprints that can be sur-
veyed rapid ly and tasked or clearance, whereas
assessing the location and extent o contamina-
tion or older strikes is more challenging. Changes in the veg-
etation and landscape, deterioration o CMR and intererence
rom local populations, such as villagers completing partial
demining eorts, oen make the location and extent o con-tamination dicult to assess. Tis presents survey and clear-
ance organizations with the challenge o identiying where to
start and stop clearance.
For survey and clearance organizations using clearance re-
quests rom the local population as the only element o sur-
vey in their operational land release systems, the chal lenge
o when to start and stop is not oen adequately addressed.
While the inormation the local population provides orms a
large part o Non-technical Survey (NS) and S eorts, it
Figure 1. Surveyors move through a box beyond the initial evidence point.All graphics courtesy of the author.
FE
ATURE
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should not determine conrmed hazardous areas (CHA) or
where to employ clearance assets.3 Survey decisions based
solely on requests rom the local population typically involve
extremely large areas that sometimes encompass entire vil-
lages. Recording a suspected hazardous area (SHA) or CHA
is not acceptable unless the area has a proven, valid claim o
contamination. Clearing an unconrmed area as i it is a CHA
wastes signicant time, unding and eort. In contrast to the
advances made in mine act ion over the last decade, many con-
taminated countries rely on civilian inormers to relay loca-
tions and the ex tent o contamination. However, CMR require
a more proessional, rigorous approach.
A New Approach
Demining organizations need to compile data gathered
rom the local population into a more thorough and proes-
sional NS and S system, using local inormation as well as
other indicators and survey methods to determine how best
to clear CMR. In the case o cluster munitions, their specic
types and methods o deployment can be used to develop oth-
er methodologies or NS and S approaches.
CMR have contaminated Laos or almost 50 years. Pro-
longed exposure to weather causes CMR to become in-
creasingly volatile, which makes determining the extent o
contamination dicult. Due to high levels o contamination,
CMR evidence is prevalent throughout most o the coun-
try; however, determining the extent o each area o con-
tamination is dicult. Tis uncertainty prohibits deminers
rom ocusing clearance assets in the contaminated areas. By
sourcing local inormation, NS can determine where survey
eorts should begin. Tese start or evidence points are iden-
tied and used to target the S, which then determines the
extent o the contamination in that area and creates a CHA.
Te CHA is reported to the national authority or addition to
the national contamination database (in the case o Laos, the
National Regulatory Authority or NRA).
Because determining where to start may be more manage-
able than determining where to stop or where to deploy clear-
ance assets, NPA developed the CMR survey methodology in
Laos to address the latter two issues.
Background Inormation
NPA ound that evidence points may be more dicult
to identiy in countries with contamination similar to Laos,
where contamination may be disturbed or partially exposed
(e.g., some areas o Vietnam). In these cases, the existence o
veried CMR in an area, determ ined through NS, may be
used as the start point or the S eort.
Due to the lack o extensive ground warare in Laos, bat-
tle areas requiring area clearance on the surace or at shallow
depths are rare, and spot tasks are sucient to destroy individu-
al pieces o ordnance. However, there are vast areas where large
bombs reside deep underground, and these are usually not en-
countered unless a particular development project requires deep
excavation.4
I an area experiencedground warare and received extensive
contamination, a CHA may be creat-
ed relative to the extent o the visible
contamination. Tis is rare in Laos, as
most contamination near the surace
usually consists o cluster munitions
and should be addressed through di-
erent methodologies.
Technical Survey
o address CMR contaminat ion inthe most ecient way possible, NPA
developed a system o S that takes
into account the unique characteris-
tics o cluster munitions contamina-
tion in Southeast Asia, including the
high metal signature o cluster muni-
tions (i.e., ootprint) and the ability
to walk with relative saety through
a suspected area. NPA uses a rapid
Bomblet found:
Stop / Record / Move to next box
Bomblet fragment(s) found:
Carry on survey / record if nothing else is found
Nothing found, after 20-30 minutes
Move on
UXO (not CMR) found:
Record for spot tasking & carry
on survey
Meaning
Bomblet gured by CMRs
Bomblet fragments found by CMRs
Nothing found by CMRs
Other UXO found by CMRs
Not surveyed inaccessibility
Not surveyed
ColorName
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
Gray
Blank
CMRs
Figure 2. Team leader with GPS reading.
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survey technique to eectively determine the extent o the
contamination beore clearance assets are employed.
In this process, the initial non-technical phase o the land
release process is conducted through village meetings and re-
view o existing documentation. Instead o identiying SHAs,
the NS records evidence points or both CMR and other
UXO in the area. All evidence points identied in a given area
(e.g., within the boundary o a village) are assigned to UXO
spot task teams, while CMR evidence points are addressed by
CMR survey teams.
Once the CMR survey (i.e., the S phase o the land release
process) is complete, a CHA polygon is ormed around the
contamination evidence and reported to the NRA as a CHA.
When clearing a CMR-surveyed site, in addition to clear-
ing the CHA, a 50 m (54 yd) ade-out area, the agreed dis-
tance rom a specic evidence point where the S/clearance
is carried out, is adopted rom the outer-most bomblets ound
within the CHA polygon.4
Te area cleared within the poly-gon, which includes any cleared, ade-out areas that extended
outside o the polygon, is classied as released ground. Te
rest o the area surveyed during the CMR survey, while deter-
mining the CHA, is classied as area surveyed only. Tis area
is not released as there was never a conrmed claim o con-
tamination rom which to release it.
Notably, to release land, there must have been an actual
conrmed claim o contamination. As a means o surveying
an area, visual observation cannot conrm contamination or
release land. Likewise, an area determined by a request-based
system should be considered a SHA and not a CHA. Te SHA
can be cancelled; when the actual contamination within the
SHA has been determined through S, it would then become
a CHA. In the CMR survey methodology a SHA is not creat-
ed, as it would be articial. Te S process commences rom a
conrmed evidence point, and a CHA is created through the
S activity.
CMR Survey
Te CMR survey methodology is based on existing
evidence (e.g., a bomblet or a valid claim o contamination)
and involves rapidly surveying 2,500 sq m (2,990 sq yd) boxed
areas or boxes beyond the initial evidence point. CMR survey
determines which boxes contain evidence o contamination.
Five surveyors are assigned to each box, and they use UXO
detectors (e.g., Vallon VMXC1-3) set to maximum sensitiv ity.
Te surveyors move through the box in a systematic manner,
under the direction o the section commander. I extensive
metal contamination is encountered in any area, the area
is skipped and the survey moves to an adjacent area. Te
purpose o the CMR survey is to paint a general picture o the
contamination in the area, with which surveyors can create
a CHA.
I surveyors nd a bomblet, survey in that boxed area is
terminated and the box is recorded in red. I the surveyors
nd ragments o CMR (e.g., a ragmentation ball rom a BLU
8 2 8 4868 88
9 29 49 69 89 109 129 149
7 27 47 67 87 107 127 147
6 26 46 66 86 106 126 149
5 25 45 65 85 105 125 145
4 24 44 64 84 104 124 144
3 23 43 63 83 103 123 143
108 128 148
BLU26
BLU26BLU26
BLU26BLU26
BLU26BLU26
BLU26 BLU26 BLU26 BLU26BLU26
BLU26
BLU26BLU26BLU26
BLU26
BLU26
BLU26
BLU26
BLU26
BLU26
BLU26
BLU26BLU26
40mm Rifle Grenade
BLU26
BLU26SboxName SearchDate Finding Result
A09
A10
A026
A027
A028
A029
A030
A044
A045
A046
A049
A050
A069
A070
A083
A084
A089
A090
A0104
A0109
A0123
A0124
A0129
A03
A07 11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
11-Aug-2011
12-Aug-2011
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26 = 2
BLU 26 Fragment
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Nothing Found
Could not be surveyed
Could not be surveyed
6
2
2
2
6
6
6
2
2
2
2
4
2
6
2
1
2
6
2
2
2
1
2
6
2
Figure 3. CHA establishment.
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pecially signicant in Southeast Asia, where the vegetation is
a dominant limiting actor in any mine or UXO operation.
Te CMR survey methodology works eciently in average
levels o vegetation and only requires the ability o the de-
tector head to be pushed through and around vegetation. In
most cases, only minimal vegetation removal is needed or the
CMR survey methodology to operate.
Conclusion
Developed by NPA, the CMR survey approach in Laos
commenced in 2010 and the methodology was ully accept-
ed in mid-2012. As the CMR survey process involves prelimi-
nary survey, suspected areas can be conrmed and recorded
prior to targeted clearance, eliminating costly clearance o un-
contaminated land. Tis process provides a clear estimation
o clearance needs, and enables Laos to make more specic
and accurate assessments o needed assets and donor unding.
Tis requirement is dicult to achieve i survey/clearance or-
ganizations accept tasks based only on community requests,
where the extent o contamination is unknown until clearance
has been completed. Beore the use o CMR survey, alternate
surveys have resulted in expensive, superuous searches that
spent unnecessary assets without nding contamination.
26), the box is recorded in yellow. In yellow areas, sur veys are
continued until either a bomblet is ound or surveyors exceed
a timed limit o 2025 minutes. In this event, the recorded box
remains yellow. I no CMR evidence is ound within the box
during the allotted t ime, the box is recorded as green. Inacces-
sible boxes are recorded in gray, and boxes that contain other
UXO are recorded in blue. While the CMR survey is ocused
on identiying the CHA o CMR contamination during the S
phase, all other UXO in the area are recorded during the NS
and are destroyed by UXO teams during the clearance phase
o the land release process.
Five deminers and a section commander spend a maxi-
mum o 20 to 25 minutes in each boxed area. Tis includes
the time to lay out the dimensions o the box, which is donerapidly with a rope system. An assessment during the trials
showed that this time rame allows the group o deminers to
cover approximately 6070 percent o each box in the allotted
time. During normal operations a CMR survey team surveys
up to 4 hectares (10 ac) in each three-week period. Tis gure
is based on ideal ground conditions and will drop as condi-
tions deteriorate.
Te ecient speed o CMR survey is possible largely be-
cause excessive vegetation removal is unnecessary. Tis is es-
TP1 TP2
TP3
TP4
TP5
TP6
TP7
SPBLU 26
BLU 26 BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26BLU 26BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26BLU 26
BLU 26BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
BLU 26
40mm Rie Grenade
Figure 4. Village contamination.
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Michael Creighton holds a Bachelor
o Arts in politics and a Ma ster o
Arts in international relations rom
the University o New South Wales(Australia). He served 11 years as an
ocer in the Royal Australian Engineers
beore establishing himsel as a project
operations and planning manager in the
explosive ordnance disposal and mine
action elds in 2001. Creighton has
since worked in Aghanistan, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Iraq, Laos
and Lebanon in a variety o commercial
and United Nations Mine Action Service
positions. From 200 9 to 2011 Creighton
held the position o programme
manager or land release at the Geneva
International Centre or Humanitarian
Demining. In 2012 he joined Norwegian
Peoples Aid (NPA) and is currently the
operations manager o NPAs Surveyand Clearance Programme in Laos.
Michael Creighton
Operations Manager Norwegian
Peoples Aid
368 Unit 20
Ban Saphanthong, Sisattanak District
Laos
Tel: +61 267 323 090
Fax: +85621246813
Email: mikec@npaid.org,
mgcreighton@yahoo.com
Website: http://npaid.org
NPA has ound that CMR survey is
the best survey approach in Southeast
Asia and potentially or other cluster
munition contaminated countries as
well. Providing answers to questions o
conrmation o contamination, it re-
mains cost-ecient and presents an e-
ective, low-tech clearance option that
allows rapid implementation. NPA has
already established more than 16 sq km
(6 sq mi) o CHAs in Laos using the
CMR survey approach (more than 238
CHAs o known and marked areas o
contamination). Tese CHAs were the
rst to be entered into the national data-
base, providing a basis rom which the
national authorities can set priorities and
plan the use o clearance resources.
See endnotes page 64
Atle Karlsen is the country director or
Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA) in Laos.
Karlsen holds a Master o Art s in devel-
opment economics rom the Univer-
sity o East Anglia (U.K.) and a Master
in Management rom the BI Norwegian
Business School (Norway). Karlsen has
worked in mine action or more than
10 years ater accidently getting in-
volved in strategic assessment or NPA
and conducting an evaluation o the
global Landmine Impact Survey initia-
tive. He has worked as regional director
or NPA in South Arica and as a policy
and strategy advisor to NPA prior to
taking his current position in Laos. He
is a board member o the InternationalCampaign to Ban Landmines, the Clus-
ter Munitions Convention and the Land-
mine and Cluster Munitions Monitor, and
a co-c hair or the United Nations and
nongovernmental organization orum.
Atle Karlsen
Country Director/Policy Advisor
Norwegian Peoples Aid
368 Unit 20
Ban Saphanthong, Sisattanak District
Laos
Tel: +856 207 744 7000
Fax: +856 21246813
Email: atlek@npaid.org
Website:http://npaid.org
Mohammad Qasim is a skilled mine
action inormation management and
geographic inormation systems spe-
cialist and has more than 15 years
experience with various mine action
programs around the world. Qasim has
worked with Norwegian Peoples Aid
(NPA) since 2009. Qasim is currently
based in Laos as the regional inorma-
tion management supervisor, provid-
ing inormation management services
to NPAs Southeast Asia programs in
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma),
Thailand and Vietnam, and assisting
national authorities where NPA is en-
gaged in national capacity development.
Mohammed Qasim
Regional Inormation Management
Supervisor
Norwegian Peoples Aid
368 Unit 20
Ban Saphanthong, Sisattanak District
Laos
Tel: +856 202 221 2802
Fax: +856 212 46813
Email: qasim@npaid.org
Website: http://npaid.org
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Assessment o Vietnams NationalMine Action Program
by Ted Paterson [ GICHD ] and Thao Grifths [ VVAF ]
A December 2012 assessment conducted by the Geneva International Centre or Humanitarian De-
mining and the Vietnam Veterans o America Foundation ound that despite Vietnams well- received
mine action program reorm eorts, various actors, including economic and bureaucratic challeng-
es, continue hindering progress.
Vietnam suers rom extensive landmine and ex-
plosive remnants o war (ERW) contamination
as a result o the Vietnam War (19651973).1
Vietnamese oicials maintain that ERW contamination
covers one-ith o Vietnams total land area, or 66,000 sq
km (25,483 sq mi), and that an estimated 350,000600,000
tons o ERW still need to be cleared.2
Vietnams response to contamination has undergone a
number o distinct stages:
19751979. Te Ministry o Deence (MoD) organized
post-war clearance eorts as a campaign model to
clear essential livelihood spaces.
19792006. Military demining supported national
development projects.
20062010. On 29 April 2008, the government o
Vietnam initiated mine action reorms, including the
establishment o Vietnam Bomb and Mine Action Center
(VBMAC), a civilian entity housed within the Ministry o
Labour, Invalids and Social Aairs (MoLISA).2
2010present. Vietnams National Mine Action Pro-
gram (VNMAP) transitions rom military to civil-
ian oversight.
Financing Mine Action
VNMAP (also known as Program 504 in Vietnam as it
was established in Decree 504 by the Prime Minister in De-
cember 2010) is unded primarily by its national budget and
private investors, through our channelsthe MoD, other
ministries, subnational governments and private investors
as depicted in able 1.3 A number o international mine ac-
tion nongovernmental organizations (NGO) are active in
Vietnam and generally work with provincial governments.
International donors und these NGOs. Grants rom interna-
tional donors such as Australia, Germany, Ireland, Norway,
aiwan, the U.K. and the U.S. averaged about US$6.1 million
per annum in recent years and continue to rise.
Still, the bulk o unding comes rom Vietnams national
budget. Engineering CommandVietnams headquarters or
military engineering units, including demining unitsreports
that demining expenditures averaged US$20 million rom
1979 to 2006, then rose signicantly rom 2006 to 2010, driv-
en largely by a demand or demining support to inrastructure
projects a nd private investments.4 Te recession in 2011 led to
a reduction in public and private investment, delaying imple-
mentation or a number o approved demining tasks.
Source of funding Decision-makers Purpose Service provider
National budget Ministry of Defence Military requirements Military deminers
Other ministries Public investment Military
Sub-national governments Provincial-district-commune
investments
Local demining firms
NGOs
Private investors Private investors Private investments Firms
Table 1. VNMAPs unding channels.All graphics courtesy of the authors.
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VNMAPs nancing pattern is distinctly dierent rom
that in most other mine/ERW-aected countries (Figures 2,
3 and able 2).
Outline o Recent Reorms
Evidence rom the Vietnam Landmine Impact Survey
(VLIS), as well as the World Bank and Asian Development
Bank, suggests that VNMAP is eective in terms o develop-
ment (e.g., support to public and private investment projects).5
However, the national program was not as eective in sup-
porting humanitarian mine action or bottom-up initiatives
o communities or or targeting clearance and mine risk edu-
cation (MRE) services based on casualties incurred.
In addition, Vietnam was unable to attract international
mine action support, in part because many donors reuse to
nance act ivities undertaken by the MoD. Tereore, VBMAC
initiated the reorm with a demining capacity under MoLISA.
VBMAC received some international unding, but this has
been sporadic.
In 2010 the government approved an ambitious National
Mine Action Program Plan or 20102025, with seven tasks
set or the period o 2010 to 2015:
Complete VLIS
Conduct unexploded ordnance (UXO)/landmine clearance
projects that support the governments socio-economic
development plans and ensure saety or the people
Establish a national database center
Develop the Vietnamese National Mine Action Standards
Implement MRE programs
Initiate victim assistance
Raise international awareness o the scale o Vietnams
contaminationIn 2011, the government established and appointed mem-
bers to a steering committee to oversee the VNMAP plan. Te
plan or 20102015 was extremely ambitious; nancing re-
quirements reached $110 mill ion in 2011 and continue to rise
in subsequent years to an annual average o almost $150 mil-
lion. Implementation was successul on some components,
$140
$120
$100
$80
$60
$40
$20
$0
USDmillions
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Delayed
Actual
Figure 1. Annual expenditures or survey and clearance operations.
Delayed
Actual
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
Hectares
Figure 2. Areas cleared by year in Vietnam.
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he results were reported in December 2012 at the Vietnam
Mine Action Forum held 14 December 2012 in Hanoi. he
assessment ocused speci ically on the views o internation-al stakeholders.
Working with the Vietnam Veterans o America Founda-
tion (VVAF), GICHD developed a simple questionnaire and
distributed it primarily through email to donors, U.N. agen-
cies, operators, government ministries and provincial author-
ities involved in mine action. Ten, on a trip to the cities o
Hanoi, Quang ri and Hue in October 2012, an assessment
team rom VVAF and GICHD met with 19 organizations to
review responses and ask ollow-up questions.
Te assessment team obtained 21 questionnaire responses
which were broken down into the ollowing categories: Operators (7)
Donors (5)
Government ministries/oces (5)
Provinces (2)
U.N. agencies (1)
Consultants (1)
Findings
In brie, the assessment ound t hat international stakehold-
ers approved o VNMAP, but current progress disappointed
them. More specically, the majority o respondents were hap-py with VBMACs establishment in 2008 and with the an-
nouncement o a national program in 2010 or a variety o
reasons, as these actions showed the ollowing:
Signied growing awareness within the Vietnamese gov-
ernment o the mine/UXO problem
Included provision o MRE and victim assistance
Suggested greater transparency and a level playing eld
(i.e., national standards that all operators would be re-
quired to meet)
such as VLIS, but progress was uneven overall. In some cas-
es, the international community seemingly remained largely
unaware o new initiatives launched by VNMAP.
Assessment
In June 2012 Vietnamese mine action oicials request-
ed that the Geneva International Centre or Humanitarian
Demining (GICHD) undertake an assessment o VNMAP.
Government
Donor
Private
Figure 3. Financing VNMAP in Vietnam (2009 ).
Government
Private
Donor
Figure 4. Financing mine action in other countries.3
Map o Vietnam.
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Indicated that a balanced ap-
proach might emerge, with more
demining targeted to support
community development and re-
duce the number o victims
Tough the national program repre-
sented a signicant advance, several aws
were noted, including the ollowing:
Vietnams unwillingness to join
the Convention on Cluster Muni-
tions
Te ailure to make VBMAC ul-
ly civilian
Lack o oversight, as VBMAC
serves as both a national mine
action center and as a demining
operator
Most international stakeholders
were unhappy with the rate o imple-
mentation or one or more components
o the 20102015 plan. Specic con-
cerns included the ollowing:
Delays in completing the nation-
al standards
Failure to appoint ull-time personnel to VBMAC
Lack o communication by national ocials
International stakeholders avorably mentioned a number
o recent actions, including the attendance o VBMAC ocials
at Mine Action Working Group meetings and the meeting o
the rst Vietnam Mine Action Forum in December 2011.
Interestingly, most international stakeholders seemed
unaware o progress on certain ronts. For example, they
were not aware o MRE messages broadcast on television in
Vietnam. Nor did they know that highly contaminated prov-
inces received national budget transers o approximately $7.5
million per year in 2011 and 2012 or demining projects.
Concerns raised most oen were the continuing depen-
dence o VBMAC on the MoD, VBMACs lack o progress in
draing national standards, establishment o a true mine ac-
tion center and the absence o a national database center.
Operators emphasized that they worked closely with pro-
vincial authorities and were not ul ly aware o developments
in Hanoi. Most said relations with provincial authorities were
improving steadily; a ew expressed concern that the new na-
tional program might create problems or operators because o
additional registration requirements.
International respondents presented a number o hypoth-
eses as to why implementation lagged:
Dem
$160
$140
$120
$100
$80
$60
$40
$20
$0
2011 201215
Oth
VA
MR
Figure 5. Annual nancing requirements or VNMAP 20112015.
YearFinancing ($ millions)
Total funding International as% of total
Government& investors
Internationalgrants3
07 $ 49.50 $ 3.95 $ 53.45 7.39%
08 $ 69.50 $ 7.64 $ 77.14 9.90%
09 $ 84.17 $ 4.20 $ 88.37 4.75%
10 $ 116.70 $ 7.07 $ 123.77 5.71%11 $ 50.73 $ 7.89 $ 58.62 13.46%
Table 2. Annual nancing requirements or VNMAP 20112015.
Recent economic downturn pushed mine action lower
on the government agenda.
Bureaucratic battles delayed progress (e.g., MoD wanted
to keep ul l control o demining).
Unresolved policy issues (e.g., the relative roles o na-
tional ministr ies and provincial governments) hinderedimplementation.
Inaccuracies in initial assumptions and policies, and
mine action ocials now realize these should be amend-
ed (e.g., VBMAC should not have been created as both a
regulator and an operator).
National Stakeholders
National stakeholders ocused more on the work that has
been done to get VNMAP operating, and mentioned the
ollowing:
Progress on VLIS and MRE Establishment o a high-prole steering committee
ransers rom the state budget to provinces to und de-
mining projects
he Ministry o Planning and Investment also empha-
sized that mine action is a priority or both oicial devel-
opment assistance and in its priorities issued to donors.
Ministry oicials also spoke o plans or 2013 that await-
ed Prime Minister Nguyen an Dungs approval. hese in-
clude the ollowing:
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Ted Paterson has a background in in-
ternational development, working with
nongovernmental organizations, re-
search and education institutes, and
consulting rms, as well as in an inde-
pendent consultant capacity. Paterson
has been active in mine action since
1999 and has worked on socioeco-
nomic and perormance-management
issues. Paterson joined the Geneva
Centre or International Humanitarian
Demining in 2004 and serves as se-
nior advisor on strategic management.
He has a Bachelor o Commerce rom
the University o Manitoba (Canada),
a Master o Arts in economics rom
York University (Canada) and a Mastero Science in development economics
rom the University o Oxord (U.K.).
Ted Paterson
Senior Advisor, Strategic Management
Geneva International Centre
or Humanitarian Demining
7bis, avenue de la Paix
P.O. Box 1300
1211 Geneva 1 / Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 906 1667
Email: t.paterson@gichd.org
Skype: gichd.t.paterson
Website: www.gichd.org
Thao Grifths has been the country di-
rector o Vietnam Veterans o America
Foundations (VVAF) Vietnam oce
since 2007. Previously, Griths worked
as the senior Vietnamese program o-
cer at VVA F and also held positions at
Microsot and the United Nations De-
velopment Programme. Griths holds
a Master o Arts in international rela-
tions rom American University (U.S.)
and a Master o Science in systems
engineering rom Royal Melbourne In-
stitute o Technology (Australia).
Thao Griths
Vietnam Country Director
Vietnam Veterans o AmericaFoundation (under the International
Center)
No 20, Ha Hoi St
Hanoi / Vietnam
Tel: +84 4 733 9444
Email: tgriths@ic-vva.org
Skype: thaogriths
Website: http://www.ic-vva.org/
Establishment o a national regu-
latory oce
Division o VBMAC to create a
new Viet Nam Mine Action Coor-
dination Centre (VNMACC) and
a separate civilian operator
Appointment o qualied person-
nel to VNMACC on a ull-time
basis and to a new location
Assuming approval is obtained,
these plans address the majority o the
concerns raised by stakeholders.
Conclusions
While VNMAPs approval was widely
welcomed, the pace o implementation
disappointed many stakeholders. Te di-
vision o roles and responsibilities among
MoD, VBMAC and the proposed regula-
tory oce remains unclear to most stake-
holders, and this represents a signicant
concern to those involved. Contributing
to disappointing progress on other mea-
sures envisaged, the delay in providing
adequate human and nancial resources
to the mine action center is a core prob-
lem. However, better progress can be ex-
pected in 2013 and beyond, assuming that
the plans and budgets already prepared
are approved.
See endnotes page 64
17 YEARS / 40 ISSUES / SEARCHABLE CONTENT
Clearance Operations Age and Gender Issues Mine/ERW Risk Education Challenges in Africa Mine Action Disability Is-sues and Rights of Persons with Disabilities Small Arms and Light Weapons Urban Land Release NGOs in Mine Action Food,
Water and Health Security Issues Cluster Munitions Government Stability and Mine-action Support Victim Assistance
Deminers on the Front Lines Information Systems and GIS Mapping The Middle East Training and Capacity Development Le-
gal Instruments Non-state Actors Physical Security and Stockpile Management Land Cancellation and Release ...and more.
HTTP://CISR.JMU.EDU/JOURNAL/PAST.HTML
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22/85eature | the journal o ERW and mine action | summer 2013 | 17.2
Securing Health Care Rights orSurvivors: Developing an Evidence
Base to Inorm Policy
Analysis o current literature on landmine/explosive remnants o war casualties in Cambodia, Laos
and Vietnam reveals faws in recording systems. An integrated course o action should aid mine ac-
tion and public health communities in preventing incidents and providing care to survivors.
by Jo Durham [ University o Queensland ]
he United Nations Convention on the Rights o Per-
sons with Disabilities (CRPD), adopted by the Gener-al Assembly in December 2006, aims to promote and
protect the rights o people with disabilities (PWD). It recog-
nizes that PWDs have the right to the highest attainable stan-
dard o health without discrimination, and should be able to
access the same range, quality and standard o ree or aord-
able health services as people without disabilities, as well as
any specialized health resources they may require.1 Te pro-
tections o the CRPD, however, only apply in countries that
have become states parties to this convention. Te rights o
landmine and cluster munition sur vivors are urther protect-
ed by the Convention on the Prohibition o the Use, Stockpil-
ing, Production and ranser o Anti-personnel Mines and on
Teir Destruction (Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention or
APMBC) and the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CMC),
again, only in states that sign and ratiy these conventions.2,3
In order to ulll these international obligations, a con-
sistent and comparative description o injuries, risk actors
and comorbidities is required to inorm the health decision-
making and planning processes. Tis is especially important
as a substantial number o nonatal injuries result in perma-
nent disabilities, which can put signicant strains on existing
health care systems.4,5 Valid estimates are also needed to cal-
culate the cost-eectiveness o interventions.6
Using Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam as examples, the
World Health Organization (WHO) signicantly under-
estimates landmine and explosive remnants o war (ERW)
injuries. It is important to note that only Laos is a state party
to the CRPD and CMC. Cambodia is a state party to the
A survivor rom Laos, 1998.Photo courtesy of Sean Sutton/MAG.
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APMBC, but not the others. Vietnam is not a state party to
any o these conventions; Cambodia and Vietnam have signed
but not ratied the CRPD. Nevertheless, this underestimation
o landmine/ERW injuries means that survivors are more
likely to be excluded rom health systems planning, and this
has important ethical and social justice implications.
Estimates o Mine/ERW Injury-related Fatalities
Te author systematically studied the peer-reviewed
health literature examining landmines and ERW deaths and
disabilities in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, nding only six
relevant studies. One o the articles ocused on Laos while
the remaining ve examined Cambodias situation. O the six
studies, ve were undertaken beore 1996. Furthermore, our
o the studies relied on hospital data and did not capture a
large proportion o deaths.7,8,9,10 able 1 summarizes the pa-
pers and main ndings o each.
No studies were ound that ocused on Vietnam in peer-reviewed literature. However, WHO Global Burden o Disease
(GBD) studies or Vietnam reported 30 deaths in 2004 and
no deaths in 2008.11,12 Conversely, the Landmine and Cluster
Munition Monitor reported 238 injuries in 2004, 89 o which
were atalthree times as many as WHO estimated. In 2008,
the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitorreported 90 in-
cidents, including 36 deaths.13 A recent WHO/UNICEF na-
tional child injury (rom inancy to 17 years o age) survey
in Vietnam did not report any landmine/ERW injuries or
children or their parents.14 Yet in Quang ri, a household
survey undertaken by Project RENEW with the provincial
Department o Health estimated that 1.2 percent o the pop-
ulation was injured by landmines or ERW between 1975 and
2010. Te majority were male children, adolescents and work-
ing-age adults, between the ages o 15 and 45.15
In Laos, a recent retrospective national level survey reported
20,008 casualties between 1974 and the end o 2007.16 Shown in
able 1, this is a much higher estimate than reported in the Laos
study.17 In its 2004 WHO GBD study or Laos, WHO reported
60 deaths.11 In the same year the Lao National Regulatory
Authority (NRA) recorded 294 incidents, which resulted in
117 deathsalmost twice the WHO estimate. In 2008, the
Lao NRA reported 99 ERW deaths, while WHO reported no
atalities.11 Te WHO GBD 2004 study or Cambodia reported
127 deaths, whereas the Cambodia Mine Victims Inormation
System (CMVIS) reported 171 deaths. More agreement was
seen in the WHO and CMVIS ndings in 2008. Te data or
each country was rated as Level 4, which means country-
specic inormation on cause o death is unavailable. Tereore,
the casualty estimates are based on mathematical models.11 In
other words, WHO does not use injury data rom the mine
action community in estimating landmine/ERW injuries and
thus signicantly underestimates the burden.
Most available data is based on dichotomous outcome
measures, i.e., being alive or dead. Nonatal injuries have a
Table 1. Summary o ndings in peer-reviewed literature.Table courtesy of the author.
Study CountryStudyType
Samplemethod/size
Year ofstudy
Outcomes
Andersson, Dasousa
& Paredes, 1995Cambodia
Population
basedN=6,090 1994, 1995
432 civilian injuries
51.3 per 1,000 males aged 15-44
61% in debt to cover health costs
Morikawa, Taylor
& Persons, 1998 Laos
Population
based
Each village head inter-
viewed, N=276 villages Not stated
870 civilian injuries
70% male
46% < 15 years of age
Bendinelli, 2009 Cambodia
Review of
trauma
database
All patients admitted
within timeframe,
N=356
20032006
6.4% < 16 years of age, mean age =
11.6 (+/-2.8), mostly due to UXO
73.6% adults mean age = 32.5
(+/- 11.1), mostly due to landmines
Jackson, 1996 CambodiaClinic
based
All blind patients
admitted within time-
frame, N=453
1994 Bilateral blindness due
to trauma, n=14
Husum et al. , 2002 CambodiaClinic
based
Consecutively injured
survivors with severe
injury, N=25
Not stated
Male n=19, female n=6
Mean age = 36
Chronic pain in survivors n=12
Stover, Keller, Cobey,
& Sopheap, 1994 Cambodia Clinic based
All landmine patients
hospitalized between
Jan. 1990 and June
1993, N=842
1993
85% male
7% female
8% < 15 years
Mean age = 29
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wide scope o severity. Tese injuries can range rom insigni-
cant scratches to needing ambulatory medical care, hospital-
ization or major surgery or permanent disability.14 As a result,
only measuring whether people die or are injured masks the
true burden.
Ongoing Needs
Most landmine/ERW survivors are between the ages o15 and 49 and live their remaining years with some level o
disability.5 With an estimated lie expectancy o 59 years in
Cambodia, or example, a male injured at 15 may live or an
additonal 44 years with a disability. Where injury results in
traumatic amputation and requires a prosthesis, the pros-
thesis will need changing several times.5 A 15-year-old male
landmine survivor in Cambodia, who requires prosthesis,
will need approximately 11 prostheses replacements in his
lietime. Furthermore, in malaria-endemic areas, post-injury
malaria is a common complication to injury and surgery, re-
sulting in an ex tended recovery.17
Survivors oen suer multiple injuries that may include
ruptured eardrums, blindness, loss o unct ion, loss o mobil-
ity and chronic pain. Tese are also risk actors or high lev-
els o psychological distress. In turn, psychological distress
is a risk actor or harmul health behaviors, such as hazard-
ous drinking and increased smoking, which also may increase
the uture risk o diseases.18 Tis actor underscores the pub-
lic health issue, revealing that the total breadth o landmine/
ERW injury extends beyond atalities. I the true burden o
landmine/ERW injuries is invisible to health systems, service
providers will be poorly equipped to address sur vivors needs
in the immediate and the long-term, particularly in countries
with high levels o inectious disease.
Out-o-pocket health expenditure associated with ERW in-
jury and related comorbidities is high. When combined with
loss o productivity, this nancial stress can represent a cata-
strophic economic burden to a household, creating a downwardspiral into poverty, malnutrition and disease.8,19 Permanent dis-
ability or losing a parent also has a signicant impact on the
uture health o children and limits their educational and eco-
nomic opportunities.5 Tus, injuries resulting in permanent
disability also incur high social and economic costs, prooundly
altering the lives o survivors and their amilies. Reducing inju-
ries would contribute to policymakers achieving their econom-
ic objectives at the micro and macro level, as well as ensuring
survivors rights are met. I healthy individuals will more like-
ly be productive individuals, it also ollows that the children o
healthy parents will more likely complete at least primary and/or secondary level education and become economically produc-
tive adults.5, 20
Continuing to underestimate the true burden rom
landmine/ERW injuries perpetuates the perception that
landmines and ERW impairments are not a signicant
health-policy issue. I the injuries incurred rom the explo-
sives were distributed equally across all ages o the popula-
tion, then this strategy may be appropriate. However, injuries
are mainly concentrated in male adolescents and the working
Landmine/ERW survivors in Cambodia.Photo courtesy of Sean Sutton/MAG.
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population, many o whom also belong
to low socioeconomic groups. Measur-
ing injuries in age groups and commu-
nicating epidemiological acts to health
policymakers is a necessary step to en-
sure the legal rights o survivors are met,
as articulated in international conven-
tions. Tis will also ensure that survi-
vors are not discr iminated against due
to a paucity o accurate data.
What Is Needed?
o understand the true extent o
landmine/ERW disabilities, injuries
need to be systematically accounted
or in the health care system. his re-
quires mine action and public health
communities to cooperate to meet the
needs o survivors and reduce micro
and macroeconomic impacts through
the ollowing:
Surveillance o community-based
injury data compatible with the
Inormation Management System
or Mine Action and health inor-
mation systems.
Clarication and standardization
o the coding o multiple injuriesand their severity.
Collection o accurate incidence
and prevalence data including
mapping.
Analysis o age-specic demo-
graphic details and risk actors
as dierent groups have dierent
exposure patterns.
Measurement and attribution o
noncommunicable diseases or oth-
er disabilities linked to landmine/ERW injuries.
Measurement o the impact o
multiple concurrent inections
and chronic morbidities.
Use o the standard disability-
adjusted lie years (DALY) to
measure the impact o disease
and disability. One DALY rep-
resents losing one year o ull
Jo Durham has worked in various po-
sitions in mine action or more than 10
years. She teaches Health and Develop-
ment and Health Aspects o Disasters
at the University o Queensland (Austra-
lia). Durham completed her doctorate in
International Health at Curtin University
(Australia). She holds a masters in in-
ternational health rom the same univer-
sity. Her doctoral studies included an
examination o the livelihood impacts
o landmine/ERW clearance. Her other
research interests are injury prevention,
disability and related comorbidities.
Jo Durham
Lecturer, Health and Development/
Health Aspects o Disaster
University o Queensland
School o Population Health
Australian Centre or International
and Tropical Health
Herston Rd.
Herston QLD 4006 / Austr