NCDR Newsletter April 2011

8/6/2019 NCDR Newsletter April 2011

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NCDR launches second National Mine Action Plan

In 2010, the National Committee for Demining and

Rehabilitation launched its second five‐year National Mine

Action Plan. The National Plan maps out how NCDR will expand on the progress made in the last five years, as well as plans for how to continue offering risk education, victim

assistance and management training programs once Jordan

has met its Mine Ban Convention obligation of clearing all

landmines by May 2012. The NMAP 2010‐2015 outlines five

strategic objectives for NCDR:

1. Clear all known mines from Jordan territory by May 2012

2. Remove all ERWs from Jordanian soil by December 2012

3. Integrate support and provision of services to all survivors of landmines and other explosive remnants of war within national structures

4. Deliver coordinated and culturally relevant risk education training on mines and ERWs to all communities living in danger

5. Deliver

training

on

ERW

program

management,

survey

techniques, and field operations to the International community.

Of NCDR’s recent achievements, NCDR National Director Mohammad Breikat said, “The real reward from our work is that by taking responsibility to report and discuss mine

action issues with everyday Jordanians we have made a real impact of the lives of the people we are talking with.

In order to plan, report and achieve our goals, we at the

NCDR needed to build our capacities and take greater ownership of our responsibilities in order to lead. We took

on this responsibility and I think created a strong national institution that I hope all Jordanians can be proud of.”

Mine Awareness Day

This year, NCDR observed the United Nations' International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on

Monday, 18 April. The event featured remarks by HRH

Prince Mired Raad Al Hussein, NCDR Chairman and Special Envoy on Universalization to the Mine Ban Convention, as well as a statement by H.E. Luc Stevens, Resident Representative of UNDP‐Jordan. Two landmine survivors shared how, despite their disabilities, they have overcome challenges to become productive members of society. Students of the Daher Al Sirou Comprehensive School for

Girls,

who

are

from

a

mine‐

affected

area,

gave

a

Mine

Risk

Education theatre performance.

New Staff

NCDR welcomes new and returning staff members This year, NCDR welcomed, and welcomed back, additions to its staff. Mohammad Abu Dalou has returned to NCDR to

serve as Deputy Director; Afaf Taya has come on board as new Finance Manager; and Basem Kasasbeh has taken over as Manager of the Jordan Valley Project from Marwan

AlZoubi. We wish Marwan good luck in his new career.

On Tuesday, December 21, 2011, Omar Bani‐Salem, a

Jordanian deminer with Norwegian People's Aid was

killed in a demining accident. Retired from the Royal

Engineering Corps, Omar was a father of eight. He

was killed when an anti‐tank landmine exploded at a

clearance site on Jordan’s northern border. NCDR

extends our greatest sympathies to Omar’s family for

their loss.

Inside this Issue

International

Relations

Training Courses

Mine Clearance

Explosive Remnants of War

Survivor and Victim Assistance

Mine Risk Education

Upcoming Activities

Remembering

Omar Bani‐Salem



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NCDR was sorry to say goodbye to Olaf Juergensen, who

served as UNDP Chief Technical Advisor for six years.

Training Courses

ERWTC

30 managers from ERW organizations in 21 countries attended

last year’s training course The second annual Explosive Remnants of War International Senior Managers Training Course (ERWTC) was held in October 2010. Thirty managers of ERW

organizations from 21 countries attended.

The goal of ERWTC is to help directors of ERW action

agencies and their teams maximize their efficiency in

combating

the

effects

of

ERWs

around

the

world.

The

course brings together national leaders and experts from

around the world with the aim of building a network of ERW resources. Coursework includes both management and technical themes, from strategic planning and finance

administration to proposal writing, the links between ERWs and development, risk management and new methods in

ERW action.

The course also incorporates participatory methods, including group work, case study exercises, presentations and a final assessment. Field visits to ERW sites in Jordan

are also included.

It is organized by NCDR and taught by instructors from

NCDR and partner organizations including James Madison

University, the Center for International Stabilization and

Recovery, the United Nations Development Program, the

International Committee of the Red Cross and the Geneva

International Center for Humanitarian Demining.

This year’s training course, funded again by the US State

Department’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, will be held from 18 September to 13 October. More details and application information are available on NCDR’s website.

New regional operational training courses to be offered this summer This July NCDR will hold an intensive two‐week training

program for operational staff in mine/ERW action

organizations in the Middle East North Africa region. This course, funded by the United States’ PM/WRA, will be

delivered in the Arabic language by NCDR’s operational staff, and will focus on quality management, though the

courses themselves will be designed with an eye to suiting needs and demands of participants. The course will consist largely of fieldwork and is limited to a maximum of twelve

participants. The course will be held from 3 July to 14 July. More details and application information is available on the

website.

International Relations

10 th Meeting of the States Parties in Geneva

The Jordanian delegation, headed by HRH Prince Mired, participated in the 10MSP in Geneva from 29 November to

3 December 2010. Jordan reported to the States Parties on

implementing its Article 5 mine clearance obligations, reiterating Jordan’s commitment to meeting its extended

Article 5 deadline by May 2012.

Jordan also addressed the Meeting on its efforts to

contribute to international cooperation and assistance by offering training programs to help other ERW‐affected

countries build national capacity to deal with their mines and ERW problems. As a State Party that has indicated that it is responsible for significant numbers of landmine survivors, Jordan participated in the Parallel Program for Victim Assistance Experts and provided an update to States Parties on its VA efforts.

Special Envoy on Universalization of the APMBC In April, His Royal Highness Prince Mired, in his capacity as Special Envoy on Universalization to the Mine Ban

Convention, made visits to Albania and Korea to promote

further acceptance of the Convention. During 2010 Prince

Mired also visited Lao PDR, Mongolia, USA and Bahrain.

In September, HRH Prince Mired and Mr. Breikat attended

the 1st Meeting of States Parties to the Cluster Munitions

Convention. As Jordan has yet to sign the CMC the

Jordanian delegation attended as observers.

NCDR delivered its annual talk at the Jordan Royal National Defence College on 28 March on Jordan’s Mine Ban Law

and implementation of the Mine Ban Convention. Addressing an audience of 85, comprising high‐ranking Jordanian officers, senior‐level government staff and



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regional participants, the seminar is part of NCDR’s ongoing Mine Ban Law Outreach Program.

14th National Directors and Technical Advisors Meeting

NCDR Director Mohammad Breikat participated in the

UNMAS 14th National Directors and Technical Advisors meeting in Geneva in March. NCDR also co‐presented a side

event during the week with the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) entitled: “ERW/Mine Action Senior Managers’ Courses: Origins, Current Plans and Future Possibilities”. The information session briefly reviewed the history of ERW/Mine Action senior managers’ courses, explained its current content and structure, and

explored options for future training. Audience members provided feedback on the past courses and made

suggestions for future senior management training.

“Contracting in Mine Action” Workshop in Geneva

22 representatives from NGOs and mine action organizations

worldwide attended the April 4‐8 workshop in Geneva NCDR Deputy Director Mohammad Abu Dalou and Head of Planning Deemah Naser attended a weeklong workshop

titled “Contracting in Mine Action” in Geneva. Held at the

Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), the workshop was attended by representatives from NGOs and mine action organizations around the

world. The workshop covered topics of management, liabilities and insurance in mine action contracting as well as legal and financial advice.

Mine Clearance

North Border Project progresses into final stages At the beginning of the North Border Mine Clearance

Project (NBMCP) in April of 2008 – implemented by the

Norwegian People’s Aid Mine Clearance Program ‐ the 93

minefields identified on Jordan’s northern border were

divided into three sectors: North East, North West and East. As of today, the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) has completed manual clearance of the North East and North

West sectors, clearing 593,446 m2 of potential agricultural

land. While verification tasks are still underway in these

areas, the completion of manual clearance means that only 8 of the original 51 mine clearance tasks are left in the

Eastern sector. In total, 56,922 Anti‐Personnel mines and

28,618

Anti‐

Tank

mines

have

been

cleared,

and

the

tasks

of

verification and surveillance of these sectors have been

taken on by the NCDR’s Quality Management Team.

Currently, 13 manual clearance teams are at work in the

remaining minefields, with a total of 189 staff members in

the field. Progress was slowed due to terrain—the presence

of metal‐containing stones meant that few mine detectors could work effectively, and they had to be replaced. German Minelab detectors and software adjustments, however, allowed work to continue. Additionally, a new

mini‐MineWolf that will boost verification capacities has arrived on site, and the Mine Detection Dog Team, which

was

previously

working

with

NCDR’s

project

in

the

Jordan

Valley, has returned to the NBMCP. NPA‐Jordan hopes to

complete manual clearance of the final sector by the end of this year. Following manual clearance, the sector will undergo verification processes, led by NCDR’s Quality Management Team that will last for at least a year.

The North Border Mine Clearance Project’s past and

current donors include Australia, Canada, European Union, Germany, Japan, Norway, and the United States of America.

Quality Management Team Update Over

the

last

six

months,

NCDR’s

Quality

Management

Team (QMT) has held several meetings with NPA‐Jordan to

discuss the North Border Project and the obstacles that are

slowing progress, the recent increase in mine accidents, Standards of Procedure (SOPs) and the Mine Detection Dog

Teams as well as the new mini‐MineWolf.

The results were a new work plan for the NBMCP, a newly assigned NPA Quality Management officer, and

amendments to the SOPs.

The head of the Operations Department at NCDR

conducted many visits to the west side of the project to

assure

that

work

was

done

in

accordance

with

SOPs,

to

discuss and give essential instructions, and to solve any problems or obstacles during work in cooperation with

NPA’s operation team. In total, QMT members conducted

200 field visits to coordinate with the NPA operation team.

Between July 2010 and January 2011, the QMT investigated

10 mine incidents. Meetings were conducted between Ops / NCDR & NPA to find out the reasons of these incidents, and the QMT gave presentations to deminers on the causes of accidents, and procedures that can reduce them.





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Searching for ERW in the field

In

Jerash,

which

hosts

the

second

largest

tourist

attraction

in Jordan, the survey found that out of 55 communities, 24

are impacted by ERWs. 42% of the impacted areas are

inhabited and close to residential areas, meaning that 23%

of the population of Jerash is at risk from ERWs. Because of this wide impact, only 21% of income in affected

communities comes from agriculture—despite the fertile

nature of the land in Jerash. In this way, ERWs inhibit the

economic development of the Kingdom. Furthermore, since

the 1970’s 73 ERW accidents resulting in 93 victims have

occurred. Children comprised 60% of the victims. Of the

total victims 21% were killed, cementing the survey’s data

identifying Jerash as one of the Jordanian provinces most impacted by ERWs.

In Zarqa, the Kingdom’s third largest province, 11 out of 55

communities are impacted by ERWs. Of these communities, 64% are rural, and agriculture is highly impacted by ERWs. Farmers, scrap dealers and shepherds are all at high risk for ERWs—scrap collectors and dealers especially are in

danger, as they have direct contact with UXOs in their work. During the visit to Zarqa province, metal factories were visited and the risks of ERWs addressed. Zarqa is home to four major metal factories.

ERWs in Zarqa are a result of previous internal conflicts and

proximity to military training fields. In total, 17 accidents have occurred in the province, resulting in 36 injuries or deaths. 9 of the accidents took place in 2009, an increase

attributed to importation of scrap metal from neighboring countries that are at war.

British Petroleum project In October of 2009, British Petroleum (BP) agreed to invest $237 million in exploring natural gas reserves in Risha, in

the northeast of the Kingdom. The project aims to triple gas production in Risha, which would make Jordan energy self ‐sufficient.

Unfortunately, operations came to a halt when UXOs, ranging from artillery shells to cluster bombs, were found in

the area. NCDR launched a project to mitigate risks and

allow operations to resume. The project involves non‐

technical

surface

surveys,

clearance

of

battle

areas

and

sampling and verification in some key locations.

Survivor and Victim Assistance

Completion of the Need Assessment Survey raises the number of identified ERW/mine survivors to 910 In April 2010, NCDR completed its victim surveillance

project, during which all survivors were visited at their homes. As a result, the total number of survivors increased

to a total of 910. 790 remain in need of some form of assistance. The completed Need Assessment Survey will

help plan for future assistance to survivors of landmines and ERWs.

In 2009, a Steering Committee on Survivor and Victim

Assistance was formed under the umbrella of the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities, with the

aim of mainstreaming the issues related to landmine

survivors within the broader national disability strategy. The Committee membership is composed of NCDR, Al Hussein Society for the Habilitation/Rehabilitation of the

Physically Challenged, the Ministry of Health, Lifeline for Consultancy and Rehabilitation, the Royal Medical Services, the Hashemite Commission for Disabled Soldiers and the

Ministry

of

Social

Development.

Support to survivor and victim assistance is essential to

NCDR’s new National Mine Action Plan and Jordan’s strategic goals for a comprehensive and sustainable VA

programme to address the most pressing SVA needs.

NCDR’s first victim’s assistance project was launched in

September 2010 through funding by the U.S. Department of State, and will be implemented by the Polus Center for Social & Economic Development in collaboration with the

NCDR. The main goal is to improve Jordan’s national capacity for victims’ assistance, by improving Orthotics and

Prosthetics

(O&P)

and

Wheelchair

Services

for

landmine

victims, improving employability for landmine victims through education and business development and further develop the national capacity for landmine victim

assistance.

Mine Risk Education

Risk Education programs concentrate work in ERW Assessment identified “high risk” communities The NATO‐funded Risk Education Project was begun in May



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2010, targeting the Northern Governorates of Irbid, Ajloun

and Jerash, and carried out in 25 communities identified by the ERW Assessment Survey. New staff has been recruited

and new material is being produced. The first phase of this

project

will

continue

until

October

of

2011.

Meanwhile, all three phases of the U.S. PM/WRA‐funded

project to educate Jordanians on the risks of ERWs and

landmines have been completed. Between April 2007 and

September 2009 the project reached 214,000 individuals in

60 communities with 1,101 MRE activities. Phase III, which

was implemented from September 2009 to January 2011, targeted communities in Zarqa and Jerash, in addition to

communities in the Jordan Valley and Mafraq, where

100,000 individuals benefited from the ERW/Mine RE

activities. The most challenging phase of the program, Phase III was the farthest reaching, targeting people living

in

areas

identified

by

the

ERW

Assessment

Survey

as

“high

risk” for ERW and landmines.

Phase IV, which is expected to begin by the end of 2011

with further US funding, is needed to follow‐up and expand

on the work of the three earlier phases, in order to

complete the work of RE in the northern and middle

regions of Jordan. These areas are the most impacted by mines and ERW's.

Donors and Partners

National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation

P.O. Box 143126 Amman, 11844 Jordan

Tel. +962 (6) 5859615

Fax: +962 (6) 5859614

Website: www.ncdr.org.jo

Upcoming Activities May

‐Ongoing TOT (training of trainers) workshop for

operational staff, Amman

‐23 May: Mine Action Donor Working Group Meeting at

the King Hussein Club, Amman

‐18 May – 15 June: Head of Planning attending James

Madison University’s ERW/Senior Mangers Course, USA

June

‐20 – 24 June: APBMC Meetings of the Standing

Committees, Geneva

‐Tuesday 21 June, 13:00 to 15:00: Discussion on “The

Jordan Valley Landmine Verification Programme” GICHD,

Geneva

July

‐July 3 – 14: Regional Operational Training Course on

Quality Management, Amman

‐18 – 28 July: MRE dept. quality management TOT

workshop for field staff, Amman

September

‐18 September – 13 October: NCDR’s ERW International

Senior Managers Training Course, Amman

NCDR Newsletter April 2011

Documents