Mine Action Strategic Planning

Introduction

The conflict of the armed struggle for the national liberation that took place between 1964 and 1974, left several portions of the territories located in the northern and central Mozambique contaminated by mines and UXO's. From 1977 to 1992 the conflic of destabilization undertaken by RENAMO against the Government of Mozambique, enlarged the minefields to the whole Country, hindering in the present, after the Agreement of Rome, the socio-economic development in the affected zones and nationalwide.
The mine clearance program in Mozambique began in 1992 under the leadership of ONUMOZ, with the immediate objective of allowing the resetlement in the origin or preference zones of the refugee's populations or displaced population in the sequence of the last armed conflict, rehabilitate some socio-economic infrastructures essential for the life of the local populations and another of national interest.
The commitment of the Government of Mozambique in the removal of these ordnance led to the the creation of national institutions, definition of policies and adherence to some conventions and international organizations that deal with the mine actions:

In 1995, the Government of Mozambique creates the National Demining Commission (CND), pioneer national institution to coordinate the mine clearance- I Decree 18/95 of 3rd May.
In 1998 becomes State party to the Ottawa Convention.
In 1999 it extinguishes CND and it institutes a new coordinating organ; the National Deminig Institute (IND) - Decree 37/99 of 3rd June.
And in the very year, it defines the guiding principles of the Government's mine actions - Resolution 17/99 of 10th June.

This national strategy formed in alliance with the international campaign against the landmines allows to the international community a larger understanding on the problem of mines in the Country and its largest involvement in the requied Mine Risk Educationto avoid mine accidents, victims assistance, mobilization of material, financial aqnd human resources to make Mozambique one of the portions of the planet free from mines and its direct intervention in the mine clearance operations through NGO's.
Currently, several organizations and institutions are involved in mine action, of the which the Mozambique Defense Forces (FADM), the NGO's namely: ADP, NPA, The HALO Trust, MgM, Handicap International and RONCO and some local and international commercial companies.
Among several donors UNDP, USA, Canada, France, R. F. of Germany, Norway, Denmark, UK, Austria, Finland, Australia, European Union, New Zealand, Sweden, Holland, Japan and RSA. Stand out.
This Strategic Plan was design to provide IND, in its capacity of the State coordinating institution and responsible for the implementation of the policies and strategies defined by the Government, of managing the process of its work and of all stakeholdersin mine action in Mozambique.
The key points of this plan are mine awareness, landmine impact survey, mine clearance, training and the development of the human resources, administration and sensitization of the international community. This planes, is aimed to achieve the objectives by the year 2004, within perspective of five year Socio-economic plan of the Government of Mozambique ".

Mine Awareness

Objectives

The Mine Awareness program aims at reducing accidents that can result in dead, wounded and material damages resulting from mines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs), through education and information to the populations that live in minefields so that they can mine risk.

Goals

The Mine Awareness campaign should give primacy to the education to the populations that live in the vicinities of minefields
This program should draw a strategy to allow to the populations to avoid carrying out activities in the vicinities of the risk areas, involving the local communities in the popularization of information and maintenance of the systems of marking of the respective areas.
Including the training through the local public institutions and community activists.
To maintain and to develop an information system about the location of the minefield.

Reaching these goals is possible through the adoption of an appropriate strategy that includes the following procedures:

Strategies

A continuous and comprehensive action in the education and information to the vulnerable groups including the use of communication means and
Creation of small local projects to motivate the populations to join this program.
Mobilization of financial and material resources that serve for support to the awareness projects on mines, using mainly people from the local communities so that they can draw the strategies themselves that lead the populations to avoid the approach to the minefield, establish procedures to allow to inform and to guarantee the maintenance of the warning system on the risk areas.
To promote the growth of the institutional capacity in the sector of mine awareness and to reinforce the support sources.

Expected outputs

With this strategy it is aimed:

A larger number of people with information and education on the threat of mines.
A continuous and accelerated reduction of human and material damages provoked by mines, for the application of strategies that lead the populations to avoid the risk areas.
Development of local programs of mine awareness and the local involvement in communities' priority in projects for elimination of the threat of mines.
Quantitative and qualitative increment of information on the risk areas.
Record of the occurrence of incidents provoked by mines, of the human and material damages and of the victims' assistance

Research on the location of the minefields.

For better understanding on the dimension of the problem of suspected mine areas, it worth to remember that Mozambique extends for a surface of 799.380 km2, 779.500 km2 out of 799.380 km2, corresponds to the land surface, 13.000 km2 to the inland waters and 6.880 km2 to the Niassa lake. The research on the location of the minefields is the first and essential step for the identification of the threat of mines, warn and educate to the populations and plan its eventual elimination.

Objectives

The research on mines will be carried out:

To reduce the number of victims provoked by mines and UXO's, through the identification, demarcation, cartography, updating of the database and popularization of information in the risk areas.
To create basic conditions for an effective and efficient subsequent mine clearance activity through the delimitation of the identified areas.
To evaluate the economical and socio impact derived from the presence of mines and on progress report on mines.

Goals

The forecast on the real and complete range of the problem of mines in Mozambique depends on the research action on the whole national territory, being the common sense that the threat of mines will continue to exist for more than 20 years. For the next five years it is intended:

To identify and to verify the places and minefields.
Demarcation of minefields so that the populations can be able to identify clearly and to avoid the risk areas.
To prepare these areas for an efficient application of the necessary resources for its clarification.
To allow an understanding and transparency on the administration of the demining activities, informative system so that the public and all the stakeholders in the process of mines and UXO's have opportune access and an available information of quality.

Strategies

The strategies recommended to reach the defined goals in this component consist of:

Collecting and checking of the data on the suspected mine area using the available resources, including the local populations, the local leaderships, recorded mine incidents, NGOs and UN agencies.
Development and use of demarcation systems - pattern in the minefields.
Continuous development and application of research techniques that enable the minefield for its clarification using the appropriate technologies of the program.
Permanent distribution of information on the problems of the mines at the several groups and the community's levels.

Expected outputs

Reduction of the number of mine incidents in areas not suspected be mined.
Reduction of the number of mine incidents of mines in the areas known as having mines.
Expansion of the demarcated areas and mapped for its clearance.
Reduction of the ratio area/mines in the clearance process.
A quality improvement in the precision and projection of data on the minefields.
Reduction of time of wait to give answer to the information requested for the mine action.

Mine Clearance

Objective

The fundamental objective of the mine clearance is to turn the minefields into safe areas for the accomplishment of productive activities and other of social nature, through the application of an efficient clarification and destruction technology of mines and unexploded ordnance, UXO's.

Goals

The elimination of the problem of mines in Mozambique will only be able to be reached through the destruction of all of the dispersed explosive ordnance throughout the national territory. For mine and UXO's clearance following goals are establish:

Application and maintenance of a sustainable system for systematic control of the process of clearance of minefields.
Choosing and application of an effective, efficient and sustainable technology for clearance in terms of costs.
Development and application of national norms and of a safe technology to reduce mine and UXO's incidents that happen during the clearance operations.
Monitoring of mine clearance activities quality control in the cleared areas.

Strategies

Ensure that the use of the available resources for the mines and UXO's clearance is in agreement with the established priorities.
Ensure the efficient and effective use of the best available clearance technologies for the program, in the accomplishment of the defined tasks.
Application of rules - standards of the quality assurance and monitoring of the clearance activities.
To promote the capacities and to coordinate the activities
Of the national operators.
To mobilize supports for application of technologies that allow a better efficiency and effectiveness of the demining process.
Continuous promotion and accomplishment of safe practices of work.

Expected results

Cleared area from mines and unexploded ordnance.
Reduction of clarification costs for square meter through the increase of the productivity of the reduction of the operational costs.
Reduction of incidents during the clearance work through the increase of the operational personnel's qualitative level.
Increase of the areas agriculture-livestocks cleared in scope of the defined strategy by the Government for the sector.
The number of destroyed mines and explosive ordnance.
Reach of an economical and socio impact provided for in the impact survey, after the demining process.
The rehabilitated and safe area for the accomplishment of productive activities after the elimination of the threat of mines.

Vocational training and human resources development.

Objectives

In this component, the aim is to provide at individual level or of groups, the necessary knowledge for a safe and efficient participatory contribution in the mine action, through the promotion and accomplishment of a sustainable program of vocational training and of the domain of the techniques of the demining process.

Goals

This program cannot reach the defined goals without qualified personnel capable to give opportune and coherent solution to the problems related with the demining. The program of vocational training and human resources development will evidence the following aspects:

To design and apply a device of sustainable training in personnel training for of mine clearance.
Application of effective and efficient systems for the vocational training of demining personnel.
To Adopt and apply techniques and systems in use to guarantee the safety and productivity in all aspects of the demining process.
Monitoring of the demining activities to check the improvement degree of team work.

Strategies

These goals can be reached through:

Evaluation of all needs in personnel, including the one of training and monitoring.
Improvement, evaluation, control and accomplishment of the training oriented tasks.
Monitoring, evaluation and full use of the whole field staff.

Expected outputs

To obtain a qualitative improvement in the training courses, including the administration of the training plans.
Monitoring of the demining activities in agreement with the annual work plans.
Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Improvement of the work practices in ONGs and its standardization.
An improvement in the results (productivity) of the demining process through the efficient and effective use of the methods and demining techniques.

Administration

Objectives

To provide IND with staff and institutional operation requested for performance of the demining program, through the vocational training and empowerment of the human resources for the management projects, planning, leadership, supervision, training and domain of the demining technologies.

Goals

IND should assure the training of Mozambique national staff for long term to give efficient continuity and effectiveness to the strategic program of demining in Mozambique. For such, IND should reach the following purposes:

To design an autonomous operational structure, with capacity to perform demining activities.
To promote and run courses to qualify the personnel to manage with efficiency and effectiveness the available resources and to perform demining activities.
Collection, compilation and timely dissemination of data in order to allow a real evaluation on the threat of mines and its management.

Strategies

To develop and to put in full operation the administrative structure of IND filling it out with properly qualified and skilled staff.
To develop and to apply standardized operational procedures that allow the uniformity of the demining actions and their execution by operators.
To develop and to motivate the local communities' leaders give their input in the setting of priorities of the demining activities.
To develop and to sustain a system of local administration of the process for reliable demining.
To develop effective mechanisms of coordination of the demining activities in Mozambique, at both local and national level.

Expected results

Establishment of an organization of the demining process that benefits local communities indeed.
Larger involvement of the local administrative structures in the planning and management of the demining process in Mozambique.
Identification, recruitment and training of the necessary personnel for demining management

Sensitization to the national and international community

Objectives

To maintain the national and international community sensitized on the problem of mines and UXO's in Mozambique, propose solutions and appropriate measures for resolution of this problem and necessary support to free the Country from the threat of mines.

Goals

The effective mine action in Mozambique will continue for many years to depend on the international community's support. Therefore, it is important to keep international community sensitized, aware on the progress reports as well as to motivate them to make available the necessary supports to the process.

Strategies

Elaboration and distribution of brochures, reports and general information about the situation of mines in Mozambique and the steps taken by the Government.
Support of the international institutions in the collection of information on landmines in Mozambique.
Participation in international conferences on landmines.
To facilitate the activity of the local and international operators.

Expected results

Number of representations linked to the problem of landmines in Mozambique.
Financial, material and human supports enough to keep in action the demining programs in Mozambique.
Creation of the National Demining Fund that will serve in long term to support the demining activities in Mozambique.

Conclusion

The connection channel between the local communities and the several stakeholders in the mine action on mine risk is the sensitization of communities living in the polluted areas. While the mine clearance task work of the mined objectives doesn't take place, the information to the public, primary demarcation of the minefields to avoid the occurrence of mine victims are important actions for the people's safety.

The extension and the nature of the degree of contamination by mines are not still totally known at national level, because the process of primary reconnaissance (survey level one ) requires the direct involvement of the Government agencies with the local communities and effective interaction with specialized NGO's thereof .
The knowledge on the real dimension of the threat of mines in Mozambique would allow its evaluation, efficient application of the available resources, setting of priorities and long term planning, of the actions and required resources to eradicate the prevalence of mines in Mozambique.

Meanwhile, special attention of the demining program should be centered in the clearance of the minefield in accordance with the defined priorities by the government institutions at local level, the local communities' legitimate representatives. For that purpose, there is a need to improve the liaison between NGO's provincial governments and IND so that the expected results in the application of the defined strategy in this document are reached.

Vocational training, recruitment of competent and qualified staff to perform several inherent activities to the mine action constitutes one of the priorities without the one which the strategy here designed will not lay down in a safe basis which can lead the institution to end in difficulties of accomplishment of its mission, in medium and long terms.

The administration of this process, demands the full operation of its administrative and operational structure from IND that allows to develop with autonomy all activities related to the national mine action plan.
International component is a partner to privilege on the part of IND, bearing in minds its technological domain and technical knowledge on mine action and its financial material and human capacity that can make available to the government of Mozambique.

Maputo,13th April, 2001