What is the Mine Action Working Group?
The ICBL Mine Action Working Group (MAWG) was formed in February 1998 to serve as the focal point for addressing issues related to mine action, with a particular focus on the work in the field. The core members of the group have been project-implementation organizations, such as Handicap International France & Belgium, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Mines Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA), Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF), and Medico International, as well as the Actiongroup Landmine.de. Between them, these NGOs manage humanitarian mine action programs in mine affected countries and areas in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
In addition to this core, there is wider participation from a number of other organizations either involved or interested in the issue. The MAWG is a loose structure, where the main basis of communication is by e-mail, but members of the group also meet for discussions within the context of various international mine action meetings.
Goals of the Mine Action Working group
The goals of the MAWG are to promote the ICBL call for more resources for mine action programs, to ensure meaningful NGO participation in all relevant political and decision-making processes that define the parameters for mine action, and to promote an understanding and general acceptance of integrated mine action, as formulated in the " Bad Honnef Guidelines". Overall, the MAWG collaborates with other working groups of the ICBL to promote full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.
The MAWG organisations are also actively involved in the Landmine Monitor work, with Handicap International and NPA in the Core Group. NPA is the thematic research coordinator for Mine Action in Landmine Monitor.
In the political process linked to the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, particularly in the annual meeting of States parties, and the Intersessional Work MAWG has maintained the following core points regarding mine action:
- The need for more and better information on the impact of landmines on peoples and communities in order to set true and clear priorities of the work.
- To make use of the knowledge and competence of the NGO mine action community.
- To recognize the mine action agencies' need for longer funding cycles in order to increase effectiveness and efficiency of mine action programs.
- To create funding mechanisms and procedures that enable the agencies to focus on the work on the ground, not on extensive bureaucracy.
- To focus research and development efforts on methods that are relevant to the situation on the ground, aimed at improving the speed, safety and efficiency of existing mine clearance methods.
Email discussions
The ICBL Mine Action Working group maintain two email discussion lists, one on general mine action issues (survey, clearance, technology etc) and one specific for mine risk education (previously mine awareness). These lists are open to everyone who wants to participate, contact either of the chairs for more information.
Tamar Gabelnick ( tamarSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org) is currently facilitating the MAWG, while Stan Brabant ( stan.brabantSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERhandicap.be) from HI-Belgium chairs the mine risk education subgroup.
Other Contacts:
NPA Mine Action Unit - npaminesSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERnpaid.org
MAG - magukSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERmag.org.uk
HI France - handicap-internationalSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERinfonie.fr
Actiongroup Landmine.de- infoSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERlandmine.de
Related activities
Survey Action Centre- http://www.sac-na.org/index.html
In order generate more knowledge on how the prescence of mines and UXOs impact on mine affected societies, the NGO community, in collaboration with the UNMAS and the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining established the Survey Working Group in May 1998. This group established the Survey Action Centre, hosted by VVAF to initiate and facilitate standarized landmine impact surveys in mine affected countries. The SAC is probably the most active arena for cooperative efforts between the mine action NGOs. All members of the MAWG are actively represented in the Survey Working Group, which meets regularly to advise the SAC on matters of Global Landmine Impact Survey policy and implementation.
NGO-working Group
Three Mine Action NGOs: HI, MAG, and NPA has since 1997 cooperated on policy and methodology level, in addition to everyday ongoing cooperation in the field. The group have produced common policy statements on the content of humanitarian mine action, funding and the work in Kosovo. The group has also produced a Portfolio-document, presenting their variuos mine-related projects.