BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA , Landmine Monitor Report 2001

Key developments since May 2000: The Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Center (BHMAC) reported the clearance during 2000 of more than 7.1 million square meters of land, including the destruction of some 5,800 mines. The International Trust Fund for Demining and Victim Assistance provided about US$11 million in 2000 to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Shortfalls in funding in 2001 have put at risk the operation of BHMAC. Following the dismissal on grounds of corruption and abuse of authority of three Demining Commissioners, a new BiH Demining Commission was inaugurated in December 2000. In 2000, 2,642 mines were collected from civilians in an SFOR initiative. In 2000, 92 new mine and UXO casualties were recorded, a small decrease from the previous year. Several incidents have been reported of Bosnian Serbs laying landmines to prevent the return of Bosnian Muslims. Bosnia and Herzegovina adhered to CCW Amended Protocol II in September 2000.

Mine Ban Policy

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997, ratified it on 8 September 1998 and became a State Party on 1 March 1999.^[1] No further information has been obtained on progress towards national implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty referred to in last year’s Landmine Monitor report.^[2]

BiH attended the Second Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in September 2000 in Geneva. Demining Commissioner Berislav Pusic—later removed from office^[3]—reiterated the country’s commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty. He declared that since destruction of antipersonnel mine stockpiles had been completed, the major focus for BiH would be on clearance of landmines within the coming ten years. But he also remarked that it would be necessary to increase efficiency “at least ten-fold,” and he called for a more coordinated response from international donors and national authorities to maximize the effectiveness of donations.^[4]

A representative of BiH’s Permanent Mission to the UN attended the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional Standing Committee meetings in December 2000, and BiH Demining Commissioner Franjo Markota attended the May 2001 Standing Committee meetings. In November 2000, at the United Nations General Assembly, BiH voted in favor of Resolution 55/33V, which calls for universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. BiH also participated in the Regional Conference on Landmines in Ljubljana in June 2000.

The initial transparency report required by Article 7 of the Mine Ban Treaty was submitted on 1 February 2000. The delay in presenting the report was attributed to the desire to report completion of stockpile destruction.^[5] As of mid-July 2001, the Article 7 report for year 2000 had not been submitted; it was due 30 April 2001.^[6]

BiH acceded to Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) on 7 September 2000, and attended the Annual Conference of States Parties in Geneva in December 2000.^[7]

Use

New use of mines in BiH has been reported on several occasions, particularly in relation to suspected attempts by Bosnian Serbs in southern Bosnia to prevent the return of Bosnian Muslim refugees. In its annual human rights report for 2000, the US State Department wrote, “In mid-December [2000], there were two mine incidents that may have been deliberate attempts to deter Bosniaks [Bosnian Muslims] from returning. In the destroyed village of Glogova, near the Serb town of Bratunac, a Bosniak was killed when a mine exploded while he was clearing his property. After an investigation, RS [Republika Srpska] authorities concluded that the mines were recently placed as a booby trap to prevent return. In southern Bosnia, outside the Serb town of Gacko, a landmine exploded under a car carrying Bosniaks to the refugee village of Fazlagica Kula. The occupants were severely wounded, but survived.The OHR [Office of the High Representative] suspects that the mine was set recently. These landmine incidents prompted OHR to make a statement criticizing what appeared to be increasing violence against returnees.”^[8]

The State Department also reported, “On June 21 [2000], a landmine damaged an SFOR [Stabilization Force] armored personnel carrier near Gacko in the RS. Three SFOR soldiers were wounded in the incident, which followed protests against minority returnees to the area;” and, “On April 26 [2000], a mine exploded in the house of a Croat returnee in the Modrica area of the RS, damaging the dwelling but injuring no one.”^[9]

Production and Transfer

Antipersonnel mine production capacity in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was located in Gorazde, Vogosca and Bugojno.^[10] In February 2000, BiH reported that the conversion or decommissioning of production facilities required by the Mine Ban Treaty would start in the course of the same year.^[11] In April 2000, the Federation Ministry of Defense reported decommissioning of the Bugojno factory and asserted that the Gorazde factory had never professionally manufactured landmines.^[12]

Following its 1999 prospectus for conversion of the Gorazde and Bugojno facilities, Rebuild International visited the Gorazde factory in August 2000. In September 2000, BiH announced that decommissioning/conversion would be completed as required.^[13] Further progress, however, is dependent on funding, which was not available by May 2001.^[14]

Stockpile and Destruction

Destruction of stockpiles was completed by November 1999—460,727 antipersonnel mines were destroyed and 2,165 were retained for permitted training purposes under Mine Ban Treaty Article 3.^[15]

“Operation Harvest” is an SFOR initiative introduced in 1998 to support the BiH authorities and the armed forces of the two entities, FBiH and RS, to collect unregistered weapons, mines, explosives and other ordnance from private holdings, in cooperation with local police.^[16] In 2000, 2,642 mines were collected under Operation Harvest (this compares with 8,261 mines collected in 1999 and 8,645 in 1998). Operation Harvest has continued in 2001, in two phases named “spring cleaning” and “harvest time.” Depending on the 2001 “spring cleaning” collection, which ended in June, SFOR may request the enactment of a new amnesty for illegal possession of mines, explosive devices and weapons.^[17] In 2000, the FBiH passed an amnesty law that took effect on 8 April and remained in force until 8 October 2000. The RS did not pass a similar law.^[18]

SFOR continues to have an inspection regime over the Entity Armies in accordance with the Dayton Agreement. SFOR monitors aspects such as the behavior of the entity armies, including the conduct of military training maneuvers and the possession of arms, but does not have control over standard operating procedures for demining, the Mine Action Centers or demining processes.

Landmine Problem^[19]

BiH is probably the most heavily mined country in Europe following extensive use of landmines, especially antipersonnel mines, remaining from the 1992-1995 war. A considerable quantity of UXO also affects the country. By 2 February 2001, BHMAC had recorded 18,145 minefields; however, it estimates the probable total number to be 30,000.^[20]

The majority of minefields are within the former “zone of separation” between opposing forces, which has a total length of 1,100 kilometers and widths of up to four kilometers. Minefields were laid along other former conflict lines throughout the country, which were subject to frequent change, so mines can be found across the whole country. They were laid in many other situations, for example, in small groups to protect encamped soldiers, around housing and key military and economic installations. The problem is therefore not only the number of mines, but also the extensive area affected. Eleven percent of the surface area of the Federation (3,000 square kilometers) is considered suspect, of which it is assumed that 10 percent is actually mine-contaminated.

According to the Federation Mine Action Centre (FMAC), 74 percent of the total known number of minefields are in FBiH. BHMAC estimates that 2 million items of UXO are still unlocated.^[21]

The locations of many minefields are still unknown. Not all minefields were recorded during construction and others had records that were later lost or destroyed during the war. Mined areas remain largely unmarked.^[22] The mountainous and heavily forested terrain makes location and clearance of minefields particularly difficult. After widespread flooding in June 2001, the Red Cross Society of BiH warned people who had fled their homes not to return to them immediately, as mines may have been moved by the flooding and previous designation of safe and unsafe areas could not be relied upon.^[23]

Consequently the civilian population is at high risk of fatal or serious injury, and sustainable livelihoods, housing areas and farmland are denied. Groups at particular risk include farmers working their land, children playing outside, forestry workers, construction workers and displaced persons returning to areas they left during the war. The UN Development Program (UNDP) states that mines represent one of the most significant barriers to the return of refugees and displaced persons, and to economic recovery.^[24]

The BHMAC summary of minefield records indicates the number and location of minefields.

Location	Minefields	Mines Recorded
Location	Minefields	Antipersonnel	Antitank
FEDERATION (cantons)	13,475	179,617	36,007
Central Bosnia	2,187	29,339	3,875
Neretva	1,378	17,878	1,323
Posavina	439	4,970	6,596
Sarajevo	1,768	21,017	2,491
Tomislavgrad	762	12,801	11,202
Tuzla-Podrinje	2,903	35,939	7,331
Una-Sana	1,641	24,166	1,266
Upper Drina (Gorazde)	254	10,350	53
Zenica-Doboj	2,143	23,157	1,870

REPUBLIKA SRPSKA	4,670	76,625	14,759

TOTAL	18,145	256,242	50,766

Coordination and Planning of Mine Action

In March 2001, national legislation on mine action, previously reported as being drafted for adoption by July 2000,^[26] was still in the process of being drafted by the BiH Demining Commission, in cooperation with the Entity Mine Action Centers (EMACs). On 19 April 2001, the Council of Ministers approved the draft, referred to as the “Demining Law,” and the final version was expected by the end of 2001.

Some details of the future “Demining Law” are already known. It outlines a more centralized structure for mine action, and will empower the BiH government to change the present tripartite Mine Action Center structure. The new law may also give the BiH Mine Action Center (BHMAC) the legal authority to enforce decisions to suspend or cancel accreditation or to stop a non-accredited organization from working, and give standard operating procedures and technical guidelines the force of law.^[27]

The drafting process was slowed down when the Commission^[28] was dissolved on 12 October 2000 and the three Commissioners were removed by the High Representative in BiH, Wolfgang Petritsch, on charges of corruption and abuse of authority.^[29] The new BiH Demining Commission was appointed by the Council of Ministers on 7 December 2000 and inaugurated by the High Representative on 18 December 2000. It was placed under the authority of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Communications, one of the five joint ministries at State level. This was a significant change as the previous Demining Commission had been an autonomous body.^[30] The three new Commissioners are Dragisa Stankovic (Serb), Jusuf Halilagic (Bosniak) and Franjo Markota (Croat).^[31] Their tasks were determined by decision of the Council of Ministers, according to which:

“The Commission is constituted of three members, one from each of the constitutive nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and they are all assistants of the Minister for Civil Affairs and Communications.... The Commission represents Bosnia and Herzegovina at all conferences, of both local and international character, related to demining, and especially in the international campaign to ban landmines, and at specialist conferences.... The Commission should keep a record of all demining activities, and the monetary and material resources received. These resources are obtained either directly through the Commission or through other bodies for demining in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”^[32]

The original Demining Commission had not been functioning properly for many months prior to its overhaul, and this carried over into the newly constituted Commission because it was initially unclear if it was to be more than merely a temporary arrangement.^[33] This further slowed progress on a number of issues, such as the Demining Law. Moreover, the new Commission members have other tasks within the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Communications, so cannot concentrate solely on demining.

The BHMAC is the national body in charge of coordination of mine action efforts in BiH, and is directly responsible to the Demining Commission. The Demining Commission is the national policy-making body; the Commission was previously under the authority of the Council of Ministers and since December 2000 under the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Communications. The BHMAC has three main components: information, finance, and coordination of mine action. Its responsibilities include maintaining the database (on mines, minefields, demining, and mine victims), preparing and proposing standard operating procedures for demining and mine awareness, and for accreditation of demining companies.^[34] However, in June 2001, it was not certain whether BHMAC would be able to continue functioning beyond September 2001, because of lack of funding (see below the section, Mine Action Funding).

The EMACs report on their work to the respective Entity governments. The FMAC has its headquarters in Sarajevo and Regional Offices in Sarajevo, Mostar, Tuzla and Bihac. The RSMAC has its headquarters in Banja Luka and Regional Offices in Pale and Banja Luka. Since late 1999, the EMACs do not conduct mine clearance but coordinate demining activities at Entity level and have full control over the demining process. They develop annual workplans, setting tasks and priorities to be addressed throughout the year, which the Entity governments review and approve, based on Entity priorities and agreed national priorities.^[35] The EMACs are responsible for locating and recording mined areas, prioritizing, and presenting them as tasks to the various demining agencies. The EMACs monitor the quality of clearance operations. According to the FMAC, quality assurance inspectors visit each site approximately once weekly, unannounced, then conduct a final survey to formally record the cleared area, after which a clearance certificate can be issued and the national mine database is updated.^[36] The EMACs are also responsible for collecting data on mines, minefields, demining and mine victims, and entering it into the database.^[37]

In February 2000, at a meeting of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Working Table III in Sarajevo, Canada and Slovenia presented an inventory of mine-related projects and programs, and stressed the urgent need to develop a regional humanitarian demining strategy. Subsequently, on 10-11 May 2000, a Stability Pact brainstorming meeting in Sarajevo decided to set up a Regional Mine Action Support Group, subsequently renamed the Forum for Cooperation on Mine Action in South Eastern Europe. Key actors include BiH, the Office of the High Representative (OHR), Canada, Croatia, Russia, Slovenia, UN Mine Action Service, European Union, NATO, the World Bank and the International Trust Fund for Demining and Victim Assistance (ITF).

Two specific directions for work were identified, one policy-oriented (facilitation of funding, data management, and promotion of regional synergies through seminars and workshops), and the other technical.^[38] On 4-7 September 2000, BHMAC with support from the EU Joint Research Council hosted the first regional Working Group towards Harmonized Information Systems for Mine Action in South East Europe in Sarajevo. Agreement was reached on common standards for the gathering of information and exchange of data between the various mine action databases within the region.^[39]

At a meeting of the Group in Zagreb in December 2000, a core group of Albania, Belgium, BiH, Canada, Croatia, and the ITF was established, and three priority areas for project development were agreed to: stockpile destruction, training, and testing and evaluation. The objective was to develop project documents for regional cooperation in each area, for submission to donors at the next Stability Pact regional pledging conference, and to present progress to the Standing Committees of the Mine Ban Treaty in May 2001. In the first half of 2001, members of the Group aimed to draw up comprehensive inventories of training programs and testing and evaluation facilities in the region, as a first step in the establishment of a regional training program and network for testing and evaluation facilities.^[40]

The development of national standards for demining has been a priority of the BHMAC Coordination Department for several years, and on 18 January 2000 the Standard for Mine Clearance and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Operations in BiH was approved.^[41] This provides the minimum technical and safety measures that must be incorporated in organizations’ standard operating procedures (SOPs), which are an integral part of the accreditation to operate in the field. This applies to all institutions and companies (commercial, NGOs and Entity Armies). In the FBiH, about 1,000 deminers and EOD specialists are authorized by the government.^[42] Equivalent figures for RS are not available, except that “700 QA tours” were expected to take place in 2001. The RSMAC also noted that it would operate within the same structure but with reduced staffing.^[43]

In October 2000 a four-week EOD training course for 14 deminers from BiH was held at the Slovenian Center for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief in Ig, Slovenia, financed by the government of Slovenia and the US Department of State. Deminers from three local NGOs (Stop Mines, BH Demining and Pro Vita) as well as Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) took part.^[44] From 27 February to 2 March 2001, an ITF course on quality assurance and quality control took place in Slovenia with 28 participants from BiH. From 26 March to 24 April 2001, there was an ITF course on EOD with 14 participants from BiH, Croatia and Montenegro.^[45]

BiH, Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) have agreed a basis for joint mine detection/clearance operations in case of forest fires along the Adriatic coast, between Herceg Novi (FRY/Montenegro) and Split (Croatia). Air support will provided by the Croat side while demining operations on the ground will be the duty of the Civil Protection from BiH (both Entities).^[46]

Mine Action Funding and Assistance

Data provided by the UNDP (see below) suggests that approximately US$23 million per year is needed for demining activities in BiH and an additional US$3 million to maintain the Mine Action Centers. The mine action funding summary by the Advisor to the Demining Commission, noted in the Landmine Monitor Report 2000, was not completed.^[47]

There is no domestic budget for mine action in BiH.^[48] In-kind contributions to mine clearance are made through the payment of salaries of all Entity Army demining teams, and through tax exemption status for demining organizations. In the RS Army, a regular soldier’s salary is the equivalent of US$100-120 per month. Deminers receive an extra payment of around US$220, and the total is paid by the Entity. The regular salaries have been paid on time, but the extra payments are paid with a six-month delay. Via SFOR, Canada and Norway are paying life insurance (up to US$50,000 per soldier) for deminers. In total, 205 soldiers have life insurance in the RS army.^[49] The same situation prevails in the FBiH but salaries are 30 percent higher and there are 50 percent more staff.

Funding for mine action in BiH is primarily channeled through UNDP and the ITF. UNDP aims to focus on capacity building for mine action, whereas ITF focuses on demining and victim assistance.^[50] Since April 2000, the World Bank has not funded mine action in BiH. Previously, the World Bank office in BiH and its emergency landmines clearance project supported mine clearance in BiH from 1996 to 1999. The overall cost of the project was some US$60 million, including US$7.5 million contributed by the World Bank itself. The project was officially closed in 1999.^[51]

UN Development Program

Through its Trust Fund for Mine Clearance in BiH, set up on 12 November 1997, UNDP is responsible for “management and coordination of relevant donor funds and mobilizing resources for other activities deemed necessary for the efficient execution of mine clearance operations in BiH.”^[52] Linked to this is the UNDP project Assistance to the Mine Action Program of BiH, which began in July 1998. This involves support for the institutional structure of BHMAC and the two Entity Mine Action Centers (EMACs), development of their technical, administrative and mine action capacity, and of their capacity to “mobilize and manage donor and locally generated resources.”^[53]

On 12 March 2001, Henrik Kolstrup, the UNDP coordinator in BiH warned that “the MAC structure will close by end April/into May unless donor support is forthcoming;” he said the MAC structure required US$3.1 million for 2001 (as for 2000) and the shortfall was therefore US$2.3 million.^[54] In the meantime, UNDP would continue to work with donors on mobilizing immediate resources.

At the end of April 2001, UNDP announced several important developments, including pledges from Canada, Sweden and the US amounting to around US$1 million and the availability of a donation by the Netherlands previously earmarked for training.^[55] These contributions for the MAC structure are channeled to the UNDP trust fund via the ITF to benefit from the US matching funds arrangement.^[56] This enabled UNDP to calculate that the MAC structure is financed up to some time in September 2001. UNDP also expressed frustration at having to make these funding appeals for operations, when its role is institution and capacity building, which is hardly happening for lack of resources.^[57]

As a consequence of the funding uncertainty, BHMAC began reducing its staff and demining and mine awareness activities in early 2001. The EMACs also made reductions, which are reflected in their plans for 2001. Thus, RSMAC reduced its staff for 2001, especially in the operational units with surveying staff, which will reportedly affect achievement of the goals set and quality of performance.^[58]

International Trust Fund

The ITF allocated US$11,115,576 to mine action in BiH in 2000 (representing 52 percent of ITF total funding of mine action in Southeast Europe). Of this total, 87 percent was spent on demining and 13 percent on victim assistance.^[59] (See the country report on Slovenia for a list of contributions to the ITF by each donor country.)

The demining projects funded by the ITF cleared 3,916,460 square meters of land in BiH in 2000, during which 3,321 mines and 1,306 UXO were found. This represents more than half of the total of 7,111,000 square meters cleared by all demining operations in BiH in 2000.^[60] On 27 September 2000, the ITF announced that Norway had agreed to a number of donations, including US$2 million for future demining activities in BiH.^[61]

On 13 December 2000, the European Commission donated €2 million (approx. US$1.8 million) to the ITF, for demining the banks of the river Sava which belong to BiH and Croatia, and for building up the geographical information system in both countries. This demining project was developed in cooperation with the Bosnian and Croatian demining centers and the ITF since September 2000. Demining in the two countries was expected to start in mid-July 2001.^[62]

In 2000, 13 percent of ITF funds for mine action in BiH was used for mine victim assistance (the regional average is 6.4 percent).^[63] ITF funds rehabilitation for an average of 200 mine victims from both Entities each year at the Slovenian Institute for Rehabilitation’s Center for the Rehabilitation of Landmine Victims, and partly at community-based rehabilitation centers in BiH.^[64] (See section below on Survivor Assistance).

The ITF plan for 2001 is to fund clearance of 3.3 square kilometers (2.5 square kilometers to be carried out by commercial companies and the remaining 800,000 square meters by NGOs).^[65]

Other Sources

Starting in 1998, Canada pledged C$10 million (US$6.6 million) for mine action for five years; this followed the provision of in-kind assistance in previous years.^[66] The Canadian Embassy in Sarajevo was unable to provide details for 2000.

On 5 March 2001, Japan gave a direct, in-kind contribution valued at DM3.6 million (US$1.9 million) to the EMACs. One-third of the equipment was for RS and the other two-thirds for the FBiH. The donation consisted of three Global Positioning by Satellite (GPS) machines to support demining operations, 27 new cars, 99 sets of work clothes, computers with servers and software, VHF and HF radio transmitters and receivers, photocopy machines, air-conditioners, spare parts for cars, and compasses. The EMACs will probably pass on or rent out the equipment to demining companies or NGOs, as they themselves are no longer involved in demining.^[67]

The Japanese government was also willing to donate equipment for 17 community-based rehabilitation centers in RS, worth US$8 million in total. The preconditions were that the centers must have “a minimum of 200m² space, one doctor-specialist in physiotherapy, two nurses, two physiotherapists/technicians, a sufficient number of potential patients, and a financial calculation for self-sustainability.”^[68]

In addition to its $916,014 contribution for Bosnia through the ITF in fiscal year 2000, the United States, through the Department of Defense, provided $641,000 for demining training.^[69]

According to information in other country reports for this edition of Landmine Monitor, in 2000: Germany provided US$1 million for mine action activities of Handicap International, HELP and Norwegian People’s Aid; Switzerland provided $333,000 for the local NGO Akcija Protiv Mina (APM or Action Against Mines) through Handicap International; and Austria provided $233,105 for ICRC victim assistance programs and $222,835 to Norwegian People’s Aid for demining projects.

Surveys and Prioritization

In 2000, as in 1999, the Federation had ten two-man survey teams and the RS had six survey teams. For 2001, the number of staff has been reduced because of the funding problems. Thus, for example, the RSMAC regional office in Pale now only has four members on its surveying team, which, it is said, is not enough to carry out the activities planned.^[70]

According to BHMAC statistics, approximately 130 square kilometers (130 million square meters) had been covered by a Level Two (Technical) Survey by the end of 2000.^[71] But the report “BH Clearance—Survey Data: Surveyed Area 2000” gives a total of 52,827,373 square meters (41 percent risk- and 59 percent non-risk areas) surveyed between January and November 2000; the discrepancy between these figures is not explained.^[72] Either figure is dramatically more than the 573,299 square meters covered in 1999 (also by Level Two Survey) when the process was beginning.

The FMAC workplan for 2000 was to survey an area of 80 square kilometers of Priority Level 1 land, and 40 square kilometers of Priority Level 2 land.^[73] Statistics from the end of 2000 revealed that it had surveyed 51,603,036 square meters in 2000, of which 16,538,013 square meters were identified as Priority 1 according to the government priority list for 2000.^[74]

The two main criteria for prioritizing mine action are humanitarian (the return of refugees and displaced persons) and economic (expansion of agricultural and grazing land, rehabilitation, reconstruction and development). The nationally agreed priorities for demining in BiH are:

While housing tasks are given top priority, when projects are presented to donors for funding a mixture of different mined areas is often put forward in order to achieve the most effective redevelopment.^[77] In deciding the most urgent projects, based on the National Priority List and donors’ wishes, the MAC regional managers involve the local authorities, the cantonal government coordinator for demining (in FBiH), regional officers of the OHR, and regional officers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).^[78]

In February 2001, the Federation MAC priority lists had a total of 446 demining projects over a total surface of 23,241,073 square meters, including 326 demining projects of Priority 1 on 15,301,662 square meters.^[79] The RSMAC priority lists for 2001 had a total of 69 tasks (in comparison with 76 on the 2000 priority list).^[80] The RS plan for 2001 is to survey 250 locations with a total area of 3 square kilometers.^[81]

Many projects in the BHMAC lists refer to land already cleared once or more, but in which the threat to the local population has not been totally eliminated. In many such cases the land was cleared after the war but no records were kept.^[82] The RSMAC, in its Plan Directives for 2001, recognizes the importance of final site quality acceptance, which “hasn’t been on the highest level lately due to the non-existence of a proper method of acceptance” and undertakes in the coming year to “find adequate methods and introduce new control mechanisms in the system of acceptance.”^[83]

To help improve the quality of work regarding general survey and continuous quality assurance, the FMAC held a Course for General and Systematic Survey and Quality Assurance in Neum for 11 days in January and 8 days in February 2001. Altogether 74 people participated in these courses, mainly from the Regional Office Survey and Inspection Teams but also the Regional Offices’ Managers and Planning/Operations Officers.^[84]

Municipal councils (“opcine”) in BiH are tasked with collecting information about suspected mined areas within their district.^[85] A report of each suspect area is passed to the relevant EMAC. Each Regional Office has a team of minefield surveyors who survey the reported suspect areas, then file a Survey Report showing the estimated suspect area.^[86] There is an increasing number of local and regional mine action working groups, organized by the local Red Cross branches, with the support of the ICRC.^[87]

Survey Action Center

The Survey Action Center (SAC) conducted a mission to BiH in summer 2000. The purpose was to review information management practices within the MACs and to advise the UN Chief Technical Advisor and key national staff on options regarding a Landmine Impact Survey and possible conversion to the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database. It was found that “while the existing BHMAC database is large and contains an extensive amount of information, it is not provided to key decision makers in a manner that can support critical tasks such as national strategic planning, prioritization and monitoring. This means that, while data is provided from the database to managers, this is only in hardcopy and after extensive human interaction. There are no automated functions within the database, there is limited ability to conduct queries, almost no socio-economic data, and no way of determining what is not being cleared, or, in other words, why one minefield is more deserving of clearance than another.”^[88]

SAC recommended major revisions to existing information management systems, and that BiH would benefit from a Landmine Impact Survey and conversion to IMSMA. The BiH staff acknowledged the recommendations, but were not willing to make a major transformation of the existing information management practices or to conduct a Landmine Impact Survey. They subsequently hired another outside consultant to review in more detail the utility of existing systems. The report from this review is not yet widely disseminated, but apparently it highlights similar areas of concern.^[89]

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) and the US Department of State are working together to fund a number of projects to create a base-level Geographic Information System (GIS) map for South Eastern Europe and to harmonize information exchange. The project, if successful, should improve the information available to support mine action operations in the region. At present, SAC has no plans to conduct a survey in the region, although it will monitor developments closely.^[90]

Mine Clearance

In September 2000, in a statement delivered to the Second Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, then-Demining Commissioner Berislav Pusic declared that as BHMAC entered its fifth year of operations, more than 16 square kilometers of mine-affected land had been cleared, and more than 30,000 landmines and 6,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO) had been destroyed. He added that in the first eight months of 2000 alone, more than four square kilometers of ground had been cleared, and more than 2,300 mines and 1,300 pieces of UXO destroyed. He noted that a comprehensive approach to mine awareness was ongoing and the mine accident rate had fallen from an average of 50 per month in 1996 to less than 10 per month in late 1999. Disappointingly, he remarked, the figures were rising again, possibly due to the return in 1999 of a large number of refugees, and several recent accidents had involved groups of children.^[91]

All mine clearance operations report progress to the EMACs, which then send summary information to BHMAC. In December 2000, BHMAC provided the following statistics to its Board of Donors for activities in 2000: cleared area = 7,111,000 square meters; total mines found and destroyed = 5,797; total number of UXO found and destroyed = 3,408.^[92]

The types of land cleared in BiH in 2000 are shown below; housing accounted for 47 percent, agriculture for 20 percent, and electric power for 17 percent.

Agriculture	19.64
Bridges	0.08
Communications	0.32
Education	0.49
Electric power	17.10
Housing	47.46
Industry	3.86
Infrastructure	0.62
Natural gas/heating	0.16
Other	2.70
Repatriation	0.18
Returnee housing	0.56
Roads	1.14
Telecommunications	0.93
Urban	2.82
Utilities	1.30
Water/waste management	0.66

In 2000, 32 mine clearance organizations were accredited to work in BiH. Commercial demining accounted for 72 percent of the total, NGOs for 18 percent, the Entity Armies for 6 percent and the Civil Protection Organization for 4 percent.^[94] The Entity Army teams are recognized as representing the country’s long-term demining capacity.^[95]

Entity Armies

There are 43 nine-man demining teams (19 Bosnian, 8 Croat, and 16 Serb).^[96] In 2000, the Entity Armies used integrated demining techniques, utilizing at least two of the following three activities: mechanical demining; demining with explosive detecting dogs (EDD), and manual demining.

There were no Entity Army deminer casualties during clearance operations in 2000. SFOR still has a training and monitoring role for mine clearance, although now with less close supervision on the ground. Previously, an SFOR soldier had to be present before demining could begin.

Mine clearance operations carried out in 1998, 1999 and 2000 by Entity Armies^[97]

	1998	1999	Year to 7 December 2000
Antipersonnel mines	4,691	1,178	635
Antitank mines	729	17	48
Unexploded ordnance	617	63	511
Area cleared (square meters)	100,303	589,170	1,732,762

NGOs

The main international NGOs working on mine clearance in BiH and accredited by BHMAC are Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and Help UDT. There are seven accredited local NGOs involved in mine clearance: Akcija Protiv Mina, Pro Vita, BH Demining, STOP Mines, ECO DEM, W.B.E., and UG ZOM.^[98] The ITF-funded NGO demining operations in BiH cleared 1,039,826 square meters in 2000.^[99]

Commercial Demining Companies

In 2000, there were 23 commercial demining companies accredited to work in BiH.^[100] This included the following international companies: Defence Systems Ltd. (U.K.), Mechem (South Africa), Ronco (US), UXB International (US), AKD Mungos (Croatia), Geomines (France), C.F.D. (France), ELS. (U.K.), Mavaarim (Israel), Mungos (Croatia), Specialist Gurkha Services (U.K.), Terramek (Sweden), Midas (Slovenia), and Dr Koehler GmbH (Germany); and the following local companies: Detektor, Amphibia, DECOP, OKTOL, UNIPAK, TNT, Cum Call, Mino Exploziv and Si-Company.

The ITF funded mine/UXO clearance operations by four foreign and five local/regional companies, which cleared 2,876,634 square meters in 2000. The total area cleared by ITF-funded NGOs and commercial companies in BiH in 2000 was 3,916,460 square meters, during which 3,321 mines and 1,306 UXO were found.^[101]

Civil Protection Organizations

The civil protection (CP) system is outside the BHMACs’ authority, but follows accreditation requirements and reports all completed activities to the EMACs. As at August 2000, FBiH had ten teams (in Bihac, Livno, Mostar (two), Gorazde, Sarajevo, Busovaca, Zeche, Tuzla and Oracha)^[102] and RS had four teams (in Banja Luka, Pale, Doboj and Trebinje).

The system was developed beginning in 1998 by the German NGO HELP, which, at the end of 2000, planned to hand over the main responsibilities and remain as a monitoring body. By April 2001, the handover process was in the final phase, with only four expatriate HELP staff remaining to monitor the overall demining process. All equipment has been transferred.^[103]

When the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ceased demining work at the end of 1999, four of its six teams were handed over to HELP and have now been added to the CP structure (two each to FBiH and RS). Their contract with CP/HELP expires on 30 September 2001, and will then be revised. The CP had a contract with HELP until 31 July 2001.^[104]

Costs

The cost of mine clearance varies according to the type of land and demining organization. In general, the cost has decreased slightly in comparison with 1999. For commercial companies, the cost per square meter for category A is DM2-3 (US$1.05-1.6), for category B, DM3-5 (US$1.6-2.6), and for category C, DM5-8 (US$2.6-4.2).^[105] For the Entity Armies, the cost averages at DM3-4 (US$1.6-2.1) per square meter cleared, and DM3,000-5,000 (US$1,578-2,632) per mine.^[106]

The UNDP estimates that a total of at least 10-12 square kilometers will be demined in 2001 in BiH; this includes the projections of the ITF, Entity Armies, Civil Protection, and directly bilaterally financed demining.^[107] An average cost of DM4 (US$2.1) per meter is given, equaling approximately US$23 million in demining investment. The US$3.1 million required for the MAC structures is about 13 percent of this total, which the UNDP considers is “actually a very competitive cost for coordination, quality control and efficiency comparing with other countries.”^[108]

Mechanical Clearance

Machines employed for demining in BiH mainly use the flail system, with three sizes depending on the configuration of and approach to the terrain. The types in use are: Tempest T5 (NPA), Bozena (each of the three armies has one Bozena), Minebrocker (German, used by the Croat component of the FBiH Army), Unistorm and Unibura (improvised machines, produced locally by UNIPAK), Agriflail, Minetrack and Bulldog. No ground-penetrating machines are currently in use in BiH. There is sharing of machines between companies/NGOs depending on tasks and needs. NPA, for instance, uses the Armtrack and Bulldog machines, which are ELS property. NPA plans to use ground-penetrating machines soon.^[109]

The NPA Program Officer states that mechanical problems sometimes occur due to work on very difficult terrain. The best machines for NPA are those based on locally purchased spare parts, and they should be relatively simple as they are supposed to be operated and maintained by local staff.^[110] Small machines are not strong enough for preparation of the ground for demining with EDD, but only for facilitation of manual demining with vegetation removal.^[111]

Explosive Detecting Dogs (EDDs)

There were approximately 80 EDDs in 2000 (82 dogs were assessed, of which 68 were accepted by BHMAC, 12 allowed as second category, and two failed).

Accreditation for the year had not been completed by the beginning of April 2001, but BHMAC estimates that there will be some 90 EDDs accredited this year (108 dogs will be tested, of which 88 had been tested by mid-April with 73 being accredited).^[112]

All staff in the EDD project are trained manual deminers who have undergone three months training in basic dog handling before accreditation and deployment. All EDDs undergo strict mental testing and an intense trial period before a one-year special training. The NPA has 11 EDDs.^[113]

Accreditation of dogs will be stricter in 2001, requiring the discovery of every mine in a minefield after mechanical preparation. In 2000, it was possible to accredit a second category, which were allowed to omit one or two mines in a minefield.^[114]

Mine Awareness

Organizations involved in mine awareness in BiH suggest that financial factors give priority to demining within BHMAC, and mine awareness is not integrated with other activities. Moreover, continual change in the BHMAC structure and lack of national policy on mine awareness have affected the level of activity and of coordination between agencies.^[115] However, the exchange of information has improved since the BH Mine Awareness Coordination Group (MACG) was established by BHMAC in December 1999.^[116]

In early 2001, MACG members received a new pre-draft of the “Regulation for acquiring accreditation for organizations conducting mine awareness in BiH” in order to prepare their input for the MACG meeting of 12 April. The regulation is supposed to set the timeframe for accreditation, and determine criteria and evidence which the organization must provide. However, mine awareness organizations active in BiH seem dubious that accreditation will operate in the near future. In May 2000, the Medex NGO from Zenica submitted a request for accreditation but received no answer, reportedly because no procedure for it existed.^[117]

Local NGOs

Local initiatives include mine awareness camps for children. Since 1996, Medex has been organizing camps for Bosnian children aged 8-18. The camp has a capacity of 60 children, and more than 3,000 children a year can benefit from its resources and lessons in mine and UXO awareness and first aid, as well as ethnic tolerance and respect for the countryside.^[118]

A network of NGOs from Albania, BiH, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia set up a regional working group to deal with the interlinked issues of mine awareness, victim assistance and the environment. NGOs involved include Genesis (BiH), Solidarity for the South (BiH), Environment and Mines (Albania) and New Vision (FRY). The first meeting of the working group was planned for summer 2001 in Montenegro.^[119]

EMACs

One of the tasks of the EMACs is “to plan, organize and carry out education in mine awareness of the population and other organizations” and coordinate with all other agencies and institutions.^[120] As a result, a database has been established containing information on all mine awareness activities. Each month, the EMACs hold working group meetings with the organizations involved. In December 2000, the two EMACs ran a five-day training course for policemen in Brcko, who qualified to work as mine awareness instructors.^[121]

Each Entity MAC has one person who gives mine awareness presentations. The RSMAC plan for the year 2001 was to continue activities begun in 2000 (producing booklets and brochures, presentations for returnees, maintaining the database) but with reduced capacity because of the revised structure of the Center. RSMAC carried out mine awareness for 1,889 people in 2000.^[122]

The FMAC plan for 2001 is to organize “lectures and training on mine threats at the request of interested groups” and “marking of risk areas with mine threat warning signs. It is estimated that 3,000 signs will be placed on 600 different locations.”^[123]

School System

All primary schools in BiH are supposed to conduct six mine awareness lessons each school year, but this seems not to happen everywhere—either because the ministries of education in both entities are not fully aware of the importance of mine awareness in the curriculum, or because they do not have adequate capacity to implement it in the schools over a long period of time.

UNICEF

UNICEF has continued its two main programs for mine awareness: in the school system and through sport. In its Preliminary Progress Report, based on assessment of the mine awareness program in August-September 2000, UNICEF wrote, “The program has been designed to be truly integrated into the school syllabus by cross-referencing the lessons to sections in the existing syllabus. Several audiovisual teaching and learning materials have been produced with financial support from UNICEF. Also, UNICEF has assisted the education authorities in organizing teacher-training sessions on mine awareness. This project covers approximately 1,000 primary schools in FBiH and 180 primary schools in RS. Mine awareness education is reaching approximately 300,000 primary school students and 12,000 teachers in FBiH, and approximately 165,000 primary and pre-school pupils and their teachers in RS. The assessment found that use of the materials varied greatly, and that very often the crucial factor was the willingness of teachers to come up with creative ideas to implement the mine awareness material into the curriculum. However, teachers’ motivation is very limited, because of the difficult economic situation in the country.”^[124]

In 2000, UNICEF supported Akcija Protiv Mina, a local NGO from Bihac, which held mine awareness training for teachers in Una-Sana, Gorazde and Posavina cantons.^[125] This reflects a changed approach with respect to UNICEF’s earlier program. In 1998 the agency had supported the ministries of education of both entities to carry out mine awareness training in all schools throughout BiH, but with little concrete effect in the field. It seems that the teachers were not motivated to carry out mine awareness teaching in schools and only a few of them continued teaching it to children during regular school classes.^[126]

UNICEF supports the ministries of education and sports in both entities in promoting mine awareness among young sportsmen in 134 football clubs, by providing basic sport materials. Sessions are organized after the regular football practice in football clubs, especially in rural areas. In 2000, three sports camps were organized for primary school children (in Neum, Modrica and Zenica) with the assistance of local Red Cross branches, during which mine awareness classes were held.^[127]

UNICEF has supported a group of actors called Moving Theatre to organize mine awareness performances for children in schools and communities in FBiH. In RS, the theatre group, Genesis, uses puppets for mine awareness performances. UNICEF sponsored 258 puppet show performances for primary school children, which were put on in RS between 1 November 1999 and 16 March 2001 by Genesis. In total, 28,037 children saw the show. The same puppet show had taken place in primary schools in the FBiH the previous year.^[128]

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

The ICRC, in close cooperation with Red Cross organizations in both entities, continue to carry out mine- and UXO-awareness activities countrywide.^[129] The program is implemented through a network of 128 trained Red Cross instructors and 19 coordinators. The process of handing over the mine awareness activities continues with local Red Cross coordinators at the regional/cantonal level increasing their involvement in most field activities, with ICRC support.

When first launched in 1996, the main activity of the ICRC mine/UXO-awareness program was an emergency public awareness campaign. Over the years it has evolved into an integrated program that supports efforts and initiatives coming from mine-affected communities, and encourages community members to become involved in seeking the answers to the mine/UXO problem. Local RC volunteers and affected communities have been closely involved in developing the program’s four main components: data-gathering, community-based activities, a schools program and media activities.

Red Cross volunteers use a community-based approach in all affected regions to identify local needs and to actively involve the communities at risk in the analysis of their own problems and in finding solutions to mine-related problems. This approach aims to inform and educate people in mine-affected areas on safe behavior, or to influence a change in behavior as regards risk-taking. Activities such as mine awareness presentations, or discussions with high-risk groups, roundtable debates on mine issues, sport and cultural events promoting mine awareness messages, and other initiatives of value for affected communities are supported.

Between January and December 2000, 3,898 presentations and 2,495 discussions, involving all 128 community-based instructors, were organized for 107,452 participants, half of them children. These sessions were organized for highly vulnerable groups such as returnees (out of the total number, almost 20,000 returnees were covered), refugees, agricultural workers, hunters, farmers and local residents.

The ICRC mine awareness program launched a campaign to mark the second anniversary of entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty on 1 March 1999. During March 2001, local RC branches throughout BiH put up colorful street banners printed with the slogan “Misli Mine!” (Think Mines!) to further remind people about the dangers of mines and UXO. A countrywide billboard campaign was scheduled to start in mid-April, as the spring months are a particularly high-risk period for the adult population working in the woods and fields.

A newsletter on mine issues called Lastavica (Swallow) is published regularly in the Zenica area, with 11,000 copies distributed to schools throughout the Zenica Doboj and Srednja Bosna cantons. The newsletter is produced by the children themselves with the support from their teachers, mine awareness instructors and people from mine-contaminated communities.

Children are deemed to be among the most vulnerable members of mine-affected communities, due to their natural curiosity. With the support of the ministries of education in both entities, the ICRC has introduced a mine awareness program into selected secondary schools. Out of 96 schools located in high-risk areas of BiH, teachers from 62 schools participated in seminars in October and November 2000 in order to be familiarized with the program. Sessions are being integrated into master classes, workshops or extracurricular activities. A booklet has been printed for secondary schools and sets of mine models produced for mine awareness sessions.

In 2000, around 46,000 primary school children competed in the annual, nationwide mine awareness quiz, sponsored by the ICRC. The competition took place throughout BiH at school, municipal and cantonal/regional and entity level. Of 768 teams that competed on municipal level, 20 reached the finals held in Sarajevo and Bijeljina in December 2000. All the participants showed great knowledge. During mine awareness week in RS (8-15 December), youngsters were invited to take part in an essay-writing competition on the dangers of mines.

Over a seven-month period in 2000, 113 performances of the theater play “Little Red Riding Hood,” which illustrates the dangers of UXO and mines, were held in 92 municipalities in BiH for 25,000 children aged 3-10. Thousands of storybooks, audiotapes, posters and other promotional materials were distributed as part of the project.

The ICRC media campaign includes radio and TV spots, talk shows, interviews and quizzes on the local radio and TV stations all over the country, with the aim of highlighting the problem of mines and making the population aware of the situation in their respective communities.

Data gathering is an integral activity that continually helps the ICRC to monitor and assess the effectiveness and impact of the mine awareness program through the collection of information related to mine incidents. Its aim is to adapt and develop the mine awareness program to meet the real needs of the communities by readjusting the messages to reality, and to measure the extent of the country’s mine problem.

UNDP

On 27 April 2001, UNDP launched a mine awareness media campaign, developed in cooperation with its partner organizations (MACs, ICRC, UNICEF, SFOR, ministries of education), focusing primarily on children aged 6 to 11. A series of animated video films depicting nine basic rules of conduct in mine-affected areas make up the backbone of the campaign. These cartoons are produced in all three languages, to be broadcast by TV stations throughout BiH. The UNDP also broadcast radio jingles, as well as four 30-minute children’s TV shows created specially for the occasion by popular children TV entertainers. UNDP and its partner organizations planned to distribute support materials (posters, badges, leaflets with school timetables, caps and T-shirts).^[130]

Other

Handicap International is supporting a local Bosniak NGO, APM, which is implementing mine awareness through 700 primary school teachers in four cantons: Gorazde, Posavina, West Herzegovina, and Herzegovina-Bosnia. It is hoped that the program can be extended to other cantons in FBiH and, if possible, also to RS.^[131]

SFOR Multi-National Division South-West, with headquarters in Banja Luka, gives mine awareness presentations in primary and secondary schools in RS.^[132]

Mine/UXO Casualties

The ICRC’s ongoing data collection, carried out throughout the country by the local Red Cross branches, provides up-to-date information on mine and UXO accidents. As of end June 2001, the ICRC database contained 4,500 victims, that is individuals killed or injured by landmines and UXO.^[133] According to ICRC statistics, between 1996 and 1999 the mine accident rate fell from an average of more than 50 to less than 10 per month. There were a total of 92 new mine/UXO victims in 2000, compared to 94 in 1999. There had been 49 new victims in the first six months of 2001.^[134] On 12 July 2001, BH Radio 1 reported the death of an 11-year-old boy, his uncle and another man in a minefield near Bugojno (central BiH).^[135]

The ICRC’s database shows that residents of mine-affected areas presently have the highest number of accidents, and that the rural male population aged 20-40 years are most likely to fall victim to mines, as they practice high-risk behavior. The population is, in most cases, aware of the existence of mines and the danger they pose, but does not practice safe behavior mainly due to the economic necessity of cultivating the land, although other factors come into play. The RSMAC Mine Awareness Section complains that “the greatest problem we encounter is the indifference of the population.... Regardless of our efforts, some people that are given lectures still become victims, as they do not want to accept our advice and warning. Usually this is the case of the ordinary middle-aged population.”^[136]

Former wartime confrontation lines, which contain the highest concentration of landmines, are among the priority locations for refugee and IDP return and also correspond to some of the most productive agricultural land. Within BiH, some 800,000 people are still displaced from their pre-war homes. There are still more than 300,000 refugees from BiH living in third countries.^[137] As refugee and IDP return increases, the number of accidents among this group is also likely to rise. Economic necessity also makes this group a high-risk population.

There are seasonal variations in mine accidents: spring (March to May) and late summer (July and August) are high-risk periods. These are the months of peak agricultural activity, and the majority of victims are injured while farming.^[138]

The ICRC’s ongoing data collection also indicates that children, despite preventive measures, continue to fall victim to landmines and UXO in BiH. One in five victims is a child injured while playing. There is a continued need for mine awareness education in primary schools and its further introduction to secondary schools.

Number of Mine/UXO Victims in the ICRC Database 1992-2001

Year	Number of Victims
1992 – 1995	3,204
1996	626
1997	286
1998	149
1999	94
2000	92
2001 to end June	49
Total after the War	1,296
TOTAL	4,500

Location of Mine/UXO Victims

Location	Number of Mine Victims
Birac region	391
Bosnian Podrinjre canton	152
Central Bosnia canton	348
Doboj region	423
East Herzegovina region	124
Herceg Bosnia canton	46
Hercegovina Neretvian canton	104
Krajina region	199
Mrkonjic Grad region	99
Old Hercegovina region	267
Posavina canton	11
Prijedor region	102
Sarajevo canton	311
Sarajevo-Romanija region	246
Semberija, Majevica, Posavina region	343
Tuzla canton	328
Una Sana canton	580
Western Hercegovina canton	27
Zenica-Doboj canton	399
Total	4,500

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001 to end June
Children (0 – 18)	149	55	22	19	28	10
Adults (19 - 39)	248	115	55	38	36	20
Adults (40 - 60)	156	80	44	24	22	10
Elderly (over 60)	39	20	18	10	6	3
Unknown	34	16	10	3	0	6

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Fatal	108	86	60	37	32	16
Non-fatal	518	200	89	57	60	33

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Mine	384	181	86	65	59	27
UXO	98	73	49	14	26	17
IED (Improvised Explosive Device)	24	11	4	6	1	1
Unknown	120	21	10	9	6	4

Types of Injury (1992-2001)	Number of victims
Foot amputation	620
Below Knee amputation	938
Above Knee amputation	269
Upper Limbs amputation	335
Fragmentation Wounds eye	388
Fragmentation Wounds Upper Body/Arms	1,219
Fragmentation Wounds Lower Body/Legs	1,350
Note: This does not correspond to the total number of victims because some suffered more than one injury.

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Civilian	514	268	145	88	89	48
Military	112	18	4	6	3	1

	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Male	95.3	93.6	96.1	96.5	90.6	90.6	90.6	92.6	92.4	83.7
Female	4.7	6.4	3.9	3.5	9.4	9.4	9.4	7.4	7.6	16.3

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Internally Displaced	88	51	30	29	12	6
Returnees	63	28	19	9	18	11
Local Residents	474	207	100	56	62	32

Other organizations with detailed information about mine victims are Landmine Survivors Network (LSN) and Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). LSN has more than 800 in-depth interviews with landmine survivors in the LSN database, and provides rehabilitation, food and medicine, and helps them to set up businesses.^[139] JRS works directly with more than 200 victims of landmines and has specific information on these cases.

On 26 June 2000 two deminers were killed at Vrela on the inter-Entity boundary when an antitank mine exploded during clearance operations.^[140]

Survivor Assistance^[141]

Five international organizations in BiH provide assistance to mine victims: the ICRC, International Rescue Committee, JRS, LSN and Queens University. In addition, the ITF supports mine victim assistance with 13 percent of its mine action funding for BiH. In 2000, ITF organized rehabilitation holidays for 10 child mine victims from both entities of BiH, at a children’s resort run by the Slovenian Red Cross.^[142]

The Strategic Framework for victim assistance was intended to have political and technical/operational levels.^[143] At the political level, the steering committee of experts has not been set up. At the technical/operational level, a two-day training session took place in Geneva in January 2000, but the draft plan of action was not ready by April 2000 (except for the Ministry of Health contribution). The plan of action presented at the Second Meeting of States Parties in September 2000 included only the work done by the ministries and not that of NGOs and other international and local organizations; therefore it was not clear where there are gaps in the provision of assistance, from which an effective plan of action could be drawn up. At present, no one is following up this issue.

There are no State-run programs for vocational rehabilitation; such programs are implemented through NGOs working with the disabled. There is only one workshop for production and distribution of wheelchairs, in Ilidza. There are 61 NGOs, including local associations for the disabled, helping disabled people. There are 23 sports clubs for the disabled in Federation BiH and six in RS.^[144]

There appears to be a common view amongst NGOs working in BiH that mine victims continue to be neglected and their needs and problems are not tackled in a systematic and serious way. The existing assistance programs are conducted in isolation, and coordination occurs only on a bilateral basis, which does not always avoid duplication of efforts.^[145]

Disability Policy and Practice

The three State laws regulating the rights of disabled are very favorable to mine victims, but the practice is often disappointing, according to the LSN director in BiH.^[146] In the FBiH, once a law has been adopted at Entity level the cantons must then adopt their own laws, therefore the situation varies from canton to canton. Only Tuzla canton and Central Bosnia canton have developed such laws; Bihac canton is in the process of passing one. The reason for the delay is that State law considers that centers for social welfare should take care of the disabled, including payment for invalidity. But the status and funding of these centers has not been clearly defined, with the result that disability pensions have not been paid for one or more years. In RS, which does not have the cantonal system, there is a delay of four months in paying disability pensions.^[147]

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA