8 TH E D I T I O N JULY 2009 U NIT E D S T A T es De PARTM E N T O F S T A T E B U R E A U O F P OLITICAL- M I L I T A R Y A FFAIR S TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY The United States’ Commitment to Humanitarian Mine Action and Conventional Weapons Destruction SPECIAL REPORTS U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program Small Arms/Light Weapons Destruction Physical Security and Stockpile Management The Menace of MANPADS TABLE OF CONTENTS A Message from Acting Assistant Secretary Greg T. Delawie. 1 SPECIAL REPORTS U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program . 2 Small Arms/Light Weapons Destruction . 5 Physical Security and Stockpile Management . 6 The Menace of MANPADS. 7 AFRICA 8 EUROPE 26 Angola 9 Albania 27 Burundi 10 Armenia 27 Chad 11 Azerbaijan 27 The Democratic Republic of the Congo 11 Bosnia and Herzegovina 28 Ethiopia 12 Bulgaria 29 Guinea-Bissau 12 Croatia 30 Kenya 13 Estonia 30 ON THE COVER Mozambique 14 Georgia 31 Republic of Congo 15 Kosovo 31 Rwanda 15 Macedonia 32 Somalia 15 Montenegro 32 Sudan 16 Serbia 33 Uganda 17 Ukraine 33 ASIA 18 LATIN AMERICA 34 Afghanistan 19 Chile 35 Angola is one of the world’s most heavily mined countries. Although casualties have been reduced Cambodia 20 Colombia 35 over the years, the number of people disabled Laos 21 Ecuador 36 by explosive remnants of war or landmines is estimated to be between 23,000 and 80,000 people, Philippines 21 Nicaragua 37 according to the Landmine Monitor. Sri Lanka 22 Peru 37 (AP Photo/Armando Franca) Tajikistan 23 THE MIDDLE EAST 38 Thailand 23 Iraq 39 Vietnam 24 Jordan 40 Lebanon 41 Yemen 41 REACHING END STATES IN THE U.S. HuMANITARIAN MINE ACTION PROGRAM 42 In 2007, the U.S. Department of State’s Office of U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program Funding History Chart (FY 1993-2008) . 43 Weapons Removal and Abatement marked the 10th anniversary of its Public-Private Partnership MINE ACTION PROGRAMS (SIDEBARS) program, which enlists civil society support for Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement . 10 clearing persistent landmines and explosive remnants of war, teaching mine-risk education, U.S. Agency for International Development’s Leahy War Victims Fund . 11 and rendering assistance to survivors of landmine accidents around the world. Since its founding Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons . 13 in October 1997, this Public-Private Partnership U.S. Department of Defense’s Humanitarian Demining Research & Development Program. 14 program has grown to include 63 nongovernmental organizations, civic associations, educational U.S. Department of Defense’s Humanitarian Demining Training Center. 17 groups, and corporations. Center for International Stabilization and Recovery. 22 International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance . 23 U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency . 25 Mine Detection Dog Center for Southeast Europe . 28 To help save natural resources and protect our environment, this Organization of American States . 36 edition of To Walk The Earth In Safety was printed on 10 percent post-consumer-waste recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks. Iraq Mine & UXO Clearance Organization. 40 Maps courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin A Message from Acting Assistant Secretary Greg T. Delawie Welcome to the 8th edition of To Walk The Earth In Safety. Although we have seen real progress in combating the threat of mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), conflicts persist, and the destabilizing effects of other weapons threaten peace and stability around the world. The United States works with other nations to clean up the debris of war, combat trafficking in small arms and light weapons, and improve the security and management of munitions stockpiles. Catastrophic explosions at munitions storage facilities in populated areas have become a growing problem and have the potential to create more casualties than landmines and ERW. The United States is leading an international effort to address this “dangerous depots” problem. Since 1993, the United States government has provided a total of more than $1.4 billion to clear landmines and unexploded ordnance. In 2008, the Department of State provided $123.1 million in assistance to 35 countries and continues to work bilaterally and multilaterally to cooperate and enact stricter controls. Also during 2008, the Special Envoy for MANPADS Threat Reduction engaged foreign governments to reduce the threat from excess, loosely-secured, or otherwise at-risk man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), raising the profile of this important issue worldwide. Recognizing that governments and international organizations cannot do it all, the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State continues to expand its partnership program with the private sector to help over 60 partner organizations raise awareness and resources for mine action. These organizations educate civilians and assist ERW and landmine-accident survivors with rehabilitation and reintegration into society, as well as actually removing and destroying landmines, unexploded ordnance and conventional weapons. I welcome your interest in the United States’ program and invite you to learn about our work with other donor nations, international and nongovernmental organizations, and concerned citizens, which underlines our commitment to implement destruction and mitigation programs and engage civil society in order to reduce the harmful worldwide effects generated by indiscriminately used, illicit and abandoned conventional weapons of war. Greg T. Delawie Acting Assistant Secretary Bureau of Political-Military Affairs TOTO WALKWALK THETHE EEARARTH ININ SAFESAFETY | 1 S P E ci A L R E P OR ts : U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program Formally established in 1993, the interagency U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program is the largest and one of the world’s oldest such programs. Consisting of various U.S. agencies, the program operates worldwide to clear landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), provide mine-risk education (MRE), provide survivor assistance, further develop mine-clearance technology, train deminers in affected countries, and support foreign health and rehabilitation/reintegration projects related to survivors assistance. The United States remains the world’s The mission of PM/WRA is to develop by supporting organizations and people top contributor to humanitarian mine policy options, implement arms in emergency transitional positions action (HMA), contributing tens of destruction and mitigation programs, in conflict-prone countries. USAID’s millions of dollars annually to rid the and engage civil society in a synergistic Leahy War Victims Fund improves the world of landmines, the majority of effort to reduce the negative effects mobility, health and social integration which have been manufactured and generated by the indiscriminate use of the disabled, including landmine employed by other countries and of persistent landmines and illicit/ survivors. Typically, USAID works through foreign combatants. In fiscal year 2008, abandoned conventional weapons of war. nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to the United States spent $123.1 million Among its responsibilities, PM/WRA develop a country’s capacity for sustainable on these efforts. oversees day-to-day management of services for conflict survivors. bilateral mine-action assistance programs Agencies Involved and encourages the participation of civil DoD manages a Humanitarian The HMA Program involves the Office society in mine action through its Public- Demining Research and Development of Weapons Removal and Abatement Private Partnership program (www.state. Program that is improving the (PM/WRA) in the U.S. Department gov/t/pm/wra/partners). technologies and means to detect and of State’s Bureau of Political-Military clear landmines and explosive remnants Affairs, the U.S. Agency for International USAID promotes sustainable development of war. One of its recent projects has Development (USAID), the Department by providing humanitarian services been the development and deployment of Defense (DoD), and the Department in post-conflict situations. Its Bureau of the Handheld Standoff Mine of Health and Human Services through of Humanitarian Response’s Office of Detection System (HSTAMIDS), a the Centers for Disease Control and Transition Initiatives connects emergency combination ground-penetrating radar Prevention (CDC). assistance and long-term development and metal-detecting machine. 2 | TO WALK THE EARTH IN SAFETY U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program : S P E ci A L R E P OR ts DoD also manages the Humanitarian Peace, Safety and Stability mine-risk education and demining- Demining Training Center, in which Attempts to eradicate persistent training program, and securing funding U.S. military forces train foreign landmines, ERW, aging munitions, for mine and ERW clearance. As deminers in humanitarian mine action abandoned ordnance, and surplus the country solidifies its demining to International Mine Action Standards. conventional weapons support the capabilities, the U.S. relinquishes its In some situations, DoD funds a mine- U.S. goals to improve regional stability, role to the host nation. action program’s start-up costs, with enable development and promote global PM/WRA providing subsequent funds peace. These efforts aim to reverse the Due to the impossibility of clearing to procure the necessary equipment, socioeconomic effects of such weapons, every landmine in every affected provide training, and supply continued promote stability through the use of country or region, the United States support until the program reaches the HMA, and build confidence among believes that humanitarian mine action U.S. government’s end state. affected regions, which benefits society should focus on making the world by reducing civilian casualities, allowing “mine-impact free,” or free from the The CDC provides technical and refugees and displaced persons to humanitarian impact of landmines. financial support to severalN GOs and return to their homes, and enhancing It is more practical, feasible, and United Nations agencies for public-health political and economic stability.