SNAPSHOT

Pehr Lodhammar
Pehr Lodhammar joined the GICHD in February 2008. Over the last two years he has been working with various mechanical demining projects and also on the "Guide to Contracting in Mine Action", which was launched in December 2009 during the Cartagena Summit. more 

AP MINE BAN CONVENTION

• Tirana Workshop
  From 7 to 9 October 2009, Albania, with the support of the European Union, hosted the Tirana Workshop on Progress and Challenges in Achieving a Mine-Free South Eastern Europe. The Tirana Workshop was the last of the six regional workshops held in advance of the Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World. more
• Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World
  The Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World took place from 29 November to 4 December 2009. Over 1,000 delegates reaffirmed their shared commitment to a world without mines and the 100+ States Parties in attendance adopted the Cartagena Action Plan to overcome the remaining challenges. In Cartagena, States Parties took a number of decisions, including on Article 5 mine clearance extension requests submitted by Argentina, Cambodia, Tajikistan and Uganda. more In addition, the Summit featured a high level segment on 3-4 December 2009. more

TOPICS

Second African Francophone seminar on mine action and ERW
The second African Francophone seminar on mine action and explosive remnants of war (ERW) took place from 2 to 4 November 2009 in Dakar, Republic of Senegal. The three-day seminar brought together more than 50 people, including representatives from 15 Francophone African countries affected by mines/ERW and Organisation internationale de la Francophonie member states or associated states. more (English) more (French)

Conference in Bali: Efforts for the promotion and universalization of the CCM in the Asia-Pacific Region
On 16 - 17 November the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs hosted the Regional Conference on the Promotion and Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in Bali, Indonesia. The two-day conference was sponsored by the Governments of Australia, Austria, Germany and Norway as well as by the UNDP, ICRC and GICHD. more

Towards faster release of land in Cambodia
The GICHD has provided considerable mine action support to Cambodia over the past ten years. It has been leading the development of land release methodology and, over the past two years, has supported CMAC with the development and implementation of an operational land release concept in Cambodia. more

Land release & IMSMA NG: coupling process improvement with  software flexibility
The development of IMSMA NG and the research undertaken on the land release approach have been done in response to needs expressed in the field. Built on best practices, the latter is an effort to maximise efficiency of existing land release processes while the former provides a decision support tool allowing for more detailed tracking and monitoring. more

Mechanical demining projects for 2010
Based on requests already received from countries and mine action programmes for mechanical demining and contracting training, the GICHD anticipates the delivery of  training courses on both topics during 2010. We also plan trials with a permanent magnet used in combination with a flail. more

NEW PUBLICATIONS

A Guide to Contracting in Mine Action, November 2009
This Guide will assist national directors and mine action programmes, as well as other organisations involved in mine action, in the various aspects of mine action contracting. The Guide provides information about methods and practices used by different agencies and organisations and explains the basics of mine action contracting and procurement. more

Linking Mine Action and Development: Guidelines for Policy and Programme Development - Double CD, November 2008 and November 2009
Mine action programmes often are not linked early and strongly enough with key development actors. Despite the availability of extensive research documenting the need for greater coordination between mine action and development organisations, concrete guidance for practitioners and policy-makers on how to link mine action with development has been lacking. In response, the GICHD has published guidelines on how to ensure mine action promotes development in mine-affected countries. more

A Guide to the International Mine Action Standards, Ed. 2010, October 2009
IMAS are standards issued by the United Nations to guide the planning, implementation and management of mine action programmes. They are a framework for the development of national mine action standards. This handbook contains all IMAS in brief and explains the purpose of the IMAS and the requirements of the different standards in a clear way, serving as a quick reference for mine action practitioners to understand core IMAS issues. more

Regional Conference on the Promotion and Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions held in Bali, November 2009
The GICHD produced, on behalf of the Governments of Australia, Austria, Germany and Norway as well as the UNDP and the ICRC, a summary publication detailing the Regional Conference on the Promotion and Universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions held in Bali in November 2009. more

ADVANCE ANNOUNCEMENT

Mechanical Demining Equipment Catalogue 2010, January 2010
Increasingly, the mine action community is aware of the benefits of mechanical demining equipment in the field. Appropriate use of mechanical demining equipment leads to cost-effective clearance and, as a result, to the safe return of cleared land to communities. This Catalogue describes three categories of machines: mine clearance machines, ground preparation machines and mine protected vehicles.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

• National Legislation and Mine Action Standards Workshop, 26-27 January 2010, Koscierzyna, Poland
• Regional workshop on Evaluating Mine Actions ITF and GICHD, 1-5 February 2010, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• 13th Meeting of National Directors and UN Advisors, 15-19 March 2010, Geneva, Switzerland
• Meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts, CCW, 12-16 April 2010, Geneva, Switzerland. more information on the United Nations website
• Meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts, CCW Amended Protocol II, 19-20 April 2010, Geneva, Switzerland. more information on the United Nations website
• Meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts, CCW Protocol V, 21-23 April 2010, Geneva, Switzerland. more information on the United Nations website
• The 7th International Humanitarian Demining Symposium - Humanitarian Demining 2010, 27-29 April 2010, Sibenik, Croatia