Participatory Monitoring of Humanitarian Mine Action

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Participatory Monitoring of Humanitarian Mine Action The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR—an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations—conducts research on disarmament and security. UNIDIR is based in Geneva, Switzerland, the centre for bilateral and multilateral disarmament and non- proliferation negotiations, and home of the Conference on Disarmament. The Institute explores current issues pertaining to the variety of existing and future armaments, as well as global diplomacy and local entrenched tensions and conflicts. Working with researchers, diplomats, Government officials, NGOs and other institutions since 1980, UNIDIR acts as a bridge between the research community and Governments. UNIDIR’s activities are funded by contributions from Governments and donors foundations. The Institute’s web site can be found at URL: http://www.unidir.org Cover page: designed by Diego Oyarzún-Reyes (UNCTAD) Photos: provided by People Against Landmines (www.mgm.org) UNIDIR/2002/19 Participatory Monitoring of Humanitarian Mine Action: Giving Voice to Citizens of Nicaragua, Mozambique and Cambodia Susan Willett Editor UNIDIR United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research Geneva, Switzerland NOTE The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. * * * The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Secretariat. UNIDIR/2002/19 Copyright © United Nations, 2003 All rights reserved UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Sales No. GV.E.03.0.6 ISBN 92-9045-146-7 CONTENTS Page Dedication. v Acknowledgements . vii Preface. ix Acronyms. xi Introduction Susan Willett . 1 Chapter 1 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of Humanitarian Mine Action in Nicaragua Susan Willett . 11 Introduction . 11 Background . 13 The Landmine Situation in Nicaragua . 17 Mine Action Coordination . 18 Mine Action Programmes . 21 Demining . 21 Stockpile Destruction. 23 Victim Assistance . 24 Victim Assistance Programmes . 25 A Case of Neglect: Somoto, Madriz. 28 A Local Initiative . 30 Socio-Economic Reintegration . 31 Conclusion . 34 iii iv Page Chapter 2 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of Humanitarian Mine Action in Mozambique Hildegard Scheu . 41 Introduction . 41 Background . 42 The Landmine Situation in Mozambique. 43 Mine and UXO Contamination . 43 History of Mine Action. 44 Mine Action Coordination . 45 Mozambique Landmine Impact Survey (2001). 47 Landmine Victim Data. 48 The Socio-Economic Impact of Mines . 49 Mine Action . 53 Mine Clearance . 53 Mine Risk Reduction Education (MRRE) . 60 Survivor Assistance. 62 Mine Action Funding . 64 Conclusion . 64 Chapter 3 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of Humanitarian Mine Action in Cambodia Chris Dammers . 69 Background . 69 Landmines in Cambodia . 71 Government and Civil Society. 73 Mine Action . 75 Mine Victims and Mine Victim Support. 78 Mine Action in Context. 80 Conclusions and Recommendations . 82 Annex: Mine Victims in Cambodia . 91 UNIDIR Publications . 103 DEDICATION This publication is dedicated to all the mine victims around the world who still do not have the support, the recourses or a voice with which to overcome their suffering and regain dignity in their lives. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are a number of individuals and organizations whose direct and indirect contributions to this study have been invaluable. Firstly I would like to thank the United Nations Foundation whose financial support enabled the feasibility studies to be conducted on the use of participatory monitoring and evaluation techniques in Mozambique, Nicaragua and Cambodia. Secondly I would like to acknowledge the inspiration provided by the Participatory Group at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. I would also like to acknowledge the stimulating discussions I had early on in the project with Robert Muggah from the Small Arms Survey about the potential application of participatory monitoring and evaluation to citizens monitoring and verification of arms control and disarmament processes. Not forgetting my co-contributors Hildegard Scheu and Chris Dammers, whose enthusiasm for this pioneering project was most rewarding. Thanks are also due to my colleagues at UNIDIR, Steve Tulliu and Anita Blétry for all their work on the final manuscripts. By far the most instructive and inspiring experience took place during my visit to mine-affected communities along the Nicaraguan/Honduran border. Here I would like to mention Carlos Pacheco from the Centro de Estudios Internacionales de Nicaragua, who selflessly acted as my translator and guide, Peter Sundberg from the Falls Brook Centre, who is training landmine victims, but above all I want to acknowledge the work of Uriel Carazo and all his compañeros at the Comisión Conjunta de Discapacitados por la Paz y la Reconstruccion de Madriz (CCDPRM) in Somoto. Their unstinting work in support of mine-affected communities, their lack of resources, and the fact that they are all ex-combatants and mine victims are truly humbling. Their sense of community and dedication drove me on to ensure that one way or another their voices and experience would be heard in the corridors of power. Finally I would like to acknowledge the love and support given to me by my long-suffering husband, Fred Hasson, who put up with my extended absences, but was always there when the going got rough. vii PREFACE At a time when arms control and disarmament are being rolled back in favour of unilateral rearmament, it is reassuring to find that the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) continues to make headway in achieving its universal goals. This is partly attributable to the fact that the MBT is primarily driven by humanitarian principles, rather than the balance of military power dynamics that have characterized more traditional and less secure regimes such as the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) process. The durability of the MBT is also attributable to the fact that civil society has played such a central role in the formulation and the evolution of humanitarian mine action. While not party to the treaty, civil society organizations, particularly those that work under the umbrella organization the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), have worked tirelessly to further the aims of the treaty, to monitor the treaty’s progress around the world, to ensure that States parties comply with their treaty obligations and to place pressure on those States that remain outside the treaty to join. While certain States remain sceptical, even resistant to the role of civil society in arms control regimes, within the humanitarian mine action community the majority of member States welcome and even rely upon the constructive work that ICBL contributes towards achieving the goal of a universal ban on landmines. One area in which ICBL has been particularly innovative is in the field of citizens’ monitoring and verification (CM&V). To date ICBL has evolved the most sophisticated and universal form of CM&V, encapsulated in the annual publication the Landmine Monitor. Although not an official mechanism of the Mine Ban Treaty it has come to be regarded as one of the most reliable verification sources on the MBT. The techniques of CM&V are however still in their infancy. There is a sense in which much of ICBL activity in this field is driven by learning by doing, a valid form of policy evolution within the development field. By implication learning by doing suggests that the techniques and methodologies utilized in CM&V have yet to achieve maturity. ix x In this publication, by way of contributing to the debate on appropriate methodologies for CM&V, we have tentatively explored the idea of using participatory monitoring and evaluation techniques in an attempt to expand the notion of CM&V. Established participatory methods of monitoring and evaluation that have evolved within the development field facilitate the input of so-called recipients into the policy implementation process, thereby empowering affected communities through their inclusion. Participatory policies not only attempt to break traditional patterns of dependency but give substance to the idea of democratization and civil society empowerment. The implication of using participatory methods of monitoring in mine-affected communities is that it will bestow even greater strength and credibility to the process of CM&V. Our study by no means proffers tried and tested solutions. The following pages simply capture the beginning of a process, in which the feasibility of using participatory methods is explored. It is hoped that the contents will stimulate not only further debate on the potential of participatory methods but also encourage practitioners to adopt such techniques, so that those most affected by landmines are included in the monitoring and verification process. Susan Willett August 2002 ACRONYMS ADEMO Associação dos Deficientes Moçambicanos ADP Accelerated Demining Programme AMAC Assistance to Mine-Affected Communities Project at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) CCDPRM Comisión Conjunta de Discapacitados por la Paz y la Reconstruccion de Madriz CEEN Centro de Estudios Estrategicos de Nicaragua CEI Centro de Estudios Internacionales CIDA
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