Working Group 1a: Clearing Mined Land/Mine Risk Education

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Colonel (r) Carl Case of the OAS opened the working group by noting that it is important to step back from time to time and look at where we've been, where we are now, and what we intend to do in the future so we can make a self analysis about the way we operate. In his presentation he outlined the specific areas of humanitarian demining and the evolution of the OAS demining programs. The development of standards is one of the key components that has both changed and helped us to firm up procedures as the structure has evolved in both humanitarian demining and mine action in general. The benefits of these standards are a reduction in demining accidents and improved quality assurance.

Currently, the humanitarian demining program in the Americas is moving in the following directions:

• More integration with demining and other components of mine action.
• Greater cooperation between the government, civilian, and military entities in order to have maximum effectiveness.
• Mechanisms for incorporating IOs, NGOs, and civil society.

In early stages, the OAS focused on International Supervision, but they are evolving more and more towards a system of monitoring that is not quite as rigid a system as having an international presence for all demining operations. Current supervisory functions include accreditation, monitoring, technical advise, security, and certification of procedures. The overall effect is to increase the credibility of these programs and the work they do.

As a part of the training process, we need to focus not only on the training of individuals (both general and specialized) but also on leadership training, which needs to go beyond humanitarian demining and to survey, certification, and reporting. The training has to be periodically reinforced and updated as new procedures come online, and demining personnel need to be refreshed on a regular basis. There is also a strong need for collective training in order to ensure a unit can function together.

International support has been focused on complementing national capabilities, but national capabilities must form the core. Equipment must be replaced periodically. The well-being of deminers themselves—living conditions, system of medical evacuation and medical treatment in case of emergencies, and insurance for families and potential rehabilitation—must also be considered.

Demining techniques that have been used in the Americas include Manual, Mechanical, and K-9 demining. Each one has its own strengths and limitations that have to be considered in how they are employed in each type of operation. Proper integration ensures there is maximum effectiveness in using all types of techniques in order to keep operations moving at a good pace.

National priorities and planning needs to be based on indications of accidents and victims, as well as on where the heaviest concentration of mines is. Demands for development or recovery in specific areas also needs to be considered. A balance has to take place in order to establish priorities. The planning process takes place in three stages: 1) long range plans (from now to mine-free); 2) medium range plans (year to year and a half plan, which is based primarily on budget required and donor requests); and 3) short range plans (three to six month cycle, which anticipates both operation and training requirements. Short range planning helps prevent a stoppage of operations for failing to plan for unanticipated events.

We often find that the pace of operations is maintained, but it is hard to find a point where we declare that we are finished with a program and move onto another area/country. Indicators of conclusion include no reports of accidents in an area or country and a decrease in the number of mines being found. We also use technical studies where groups complete area reduction to determine when a project is finished. Additionally, we need to set up rapid-release capabilities with a channel for reporting on a national level, MRE to notify the public of that channel, and a method for seeking out more information on a potentially dangerous area.

In the Americas, military forces play numerous roles. Most programs have been universally using military forces, although there is some reluctance. Military units need specialized training on order to complete demining operations, but they have a strong potential to be employed in other companies.

The humanitarian demining program in the Americas faces four major challenges:

• Collection of data in a systematic form.
• Integration of MRE into humanitarian demining operations.
• Improved integration of planning requirements in logistical support, medical support, equipment procurement, and various other areas.
• Collaboration on both sides of the border in border areas.

Workshop participants placed a key emphasis on the need for increase collaboration between government, military, and civilian entities. Each group possesses particular strengths and the most efficient way to free a country of mines/UXO is for all three entities to work together. This is also true of neighboring countries where a heavy concentration of mines lies along their borders. It is quicker and more productive for both countries to work together to clear the entire border than for each country to work specifically on their side of the border. A few of the nations have had success with both of these collaborations, but most have not, and these need to be a key focus on the improvement of demining programs throughout the Americas.

Concluded working points for this working group were:

• Creation of a lessons learned document to be shared in 2004 during the Review Conference and shared with other regions of the world including lessons learned on, among others, command and control, bilateral/multilateral negotiations (joint cooperation on border areas), civil/military cooperation, technology, and methodology
• The development, by regional and international partners, of guidelines on post-clearance