Department for International Development Review of UNOCHA’s Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan Final Report Review Team Khan Mohammad, Ted Paterson Qadeem Tariq Bill van Ree December 2000 Review of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan i Foreword The document contains a report prepared by a team of four consults Khan Mohammad, Qadeem Tariq, Ted Paterson and Bill van Ree, appointed to review the impact of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan. The report includes the views, opinions and recommendations of the Review Team. The information in this report does not represent the policies or opinions of the donor community group that commissioned the review. We would like to thank the many people who openly and candidly provided briefings, information and documentation needed to compile this report. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by the mine action community in Afghanistan. This review would not have been possible without their support. Review of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan i Contents FOREWORD I ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS VII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Purpose 1 Overview 1 Socio-economic impact 2 Technical effectiveness 2 Management efficiency 3 Effective, efficient and transparent use of funding 4 A UN exit strategy 4 BACKGROUND 1 HUMANITARIAN AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT 2 The nature of socio-economic benefits from mine action 2 The socio-economic impacts of the MAPA 3 Productivity 6 Risk reduction 7 Mine incidents - data collection, analysis, and reporting 7 Demining incidents - data collection, analysis, and reporting 9 Victim Assistance 9 Other potential impacts 10 Environmental 10 Political 10 International 11 ICBL 11 Potential misuse of cleared land 11 Land Disputes 12 Cultivation of Narcotics 12 Misuse of explosives, mines and other munitions: 13 MAPA 13 Taliban and other authorities 13 Communities 13 Security 14 MANAGEMENT 15 The MACA and the RMACs 15 Review of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan ii Management capacity building 16 International staff and technical advisers 16 Implementing partners National NGO capacity development 17 Governance 17 Operations management 18 TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF DEMINING OPERATIONS 20 Elements of the technical aspects of demining are shown in the following model. Detailed discussion on these aspects of demining is included in Annex I. 20 The survey process 20 General survey 20 Technical survey & specifications for clearance 20 Management information system 21 Technology mix and the tasking of implementing partners 21 Risk reduction 22 Technologies used in the demining process 22 Manual demining 22 Explosive detection dogs 23 Mechanical systems 23 Safety in operations 24 Equipment condition and use 26 Equipment selection and procurement 27 Training 27 MAPA technical training 27 EOD Training 28 MAPA management training 28 THE FUTURE OF MINE ACTION IN AFGHANISTAN 28 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 31 Improving management of service providers 31 Capacity development 32 Internatonally recruited staff 33 Operations Planning and management 34 Information Management 34 Sevice delivery 34 Preparing for the transition to a national mine action authority 35 Technical aspects of demining operations 36 ANNEX A. TERMS OF REFERENCE 38 Review of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan iii ANNEX B. SCHEDULE OF VISITS AND MEETINGS 45 Meetings 45 ANNEX C. REVIEW OF DOCUMENTS 51 ANNEX D. AN ILLUSTRATION OF COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS 53 ANNEX E. THE ECONOMICS OF DEMINING 55 General issues 55 Evidence from other countries 56 A stylised picture of a national mine action programme 57 Analysing alternatives 60 ANNEX F. IMPACTS OF DEMINING - SPECIFIC EXAMPLES 62 Repatriation of refugees and IDPs 62 Mine/UXO clearance 62 Mine awareness 63 The rural economy 63 Farming Systems 63 Transportation and Trade 65 Access to Social Infrastructure 66 The Kuchi 66 ANNEX G. INCREASING SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT 67 General 67 Effectiveness and impact of demining 68 Effectiveness of Mine Awareness Activities 70 ANNEX H. INTERNATIONALLY RECRUITED STAFF AND TECHNICAL ADVISERS 72 MACA/RMACS 72 ANNEX I. OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE DELIVEY. 74 SURVEY 74 General survey 74 Technical survey 74 Integration of area reduction into the demining process 75 Clearance undertaken during the survey process. 76 Progress in indigenisation of the survey process 77 Review of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan iv PLANNING AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION 77 Prioritisation of mined land for reduction, marking and clearance. 77 Data transfer from the survey teams to the allocation of tasks to individual implementing agencies. 78 Planning,coordination and resource allocation 78 Coordination with non-mine action organisations 79 UN Agencies 79 NGOs 81 Limitations of existing coordination mechanisms 82 Partial solutions to coordination problems 84 Better exchange of information 84 Spatially-integrated programmes 84 Community-based approaches (AREA) 85 Taliban authorities 86 RISK REDUCTION – CLEARANCE OPERATIONS 86 General 86 Manual clearance 87 Explosive detection dogs 87 Background 87 MAPA Utilisation of dogs 88 Strategy 88 SOP’s 88 Quality of supervision 88 Identification of non-conformaties and corrective action 89 Care and control of dogs 89 Quality assurance 89 MECHANICAL CLEARANCE 90 Equipment presently in use at all stages of the demining process 90 Backhoe 90 Front-End-Loader (FEL) 92 Rock crushing plant 92 Excavator with rotary-head tiller attachment 93 UXO CLEARANCE 93 Prioritisation and response to UXO reports from the community 93 Scale of the problem 93 Prioritisation 94 Response 94 Training 95 Safety 95 ANNEX J. SURVEY INFORMATION EXCHANGE PROCESS 96 Review of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan v ANNEX K. AFGHAN IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS 97 UNOCHA’s risk management strategy 97 Procurement 98 Logistics 98 Stores management 98 Maintenance 98 Manufacture of tools, equipment and training aids 99 Personnel management 99 Rumours and criticisms of nepotism. 99 Recruitment trough introduction 100 Project and operations management 100 Productivity 100 Review team’s analysis 101 Looking to the future 101 Contracting for Mine/UXO Clearance and Survey 103 Contracting for Mine Awareness 104 Contracting for monitoring, evaluation, and training services 105 ANNEX L. QUALITY ASSURANCE 106 International experience and trends 106 The MAPA 106 Internal quality assurance 106 Afghan implementing partners 106 UNOCHA & MACA 107 ANNEX M. MAPA HISTORY - MAJOR EVENTS 108 Review of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan vi Abbreviations and acronyms ACBAR Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief ACBL Afghan Campaign to Ban Landmines AETF Afghan Emergency Trust Fund AMAA Afghan Mine Awareness Agency AMAL Afghan Mine Action League AP Anti-personnel ARCS Afghan Red Crescent Society AREA Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy Conservation in Afghanistan ARI Ansar Relief Institute (Iran- based mine awareness organisation) AT Anti-tank ATC Afghan Technical Consultants BAC Battle Area Clearance BBC AEP British Broadcasting Corporation, Afghan Education Projects CBMC Community Based Mine Clearance CIDA Canadian International Development Agency DAFA Demining Agency for Afghanistan DC Demining Course DDG Danish Demining Group DIFD Department for International Development (UK) DMC Department of Mine Clearance, Government of Afghanistan DMIT Doctrine, Monitoring and Investigation Team DPDC Demining Pre-Deployment Course EOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations FMU Field Medical Unit HALO Hazardous Area Life Support Organisation HI Handicap International ICBL International Campaign to Ban Landmines ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IMSMA Information Management System for Mine Action ISMA International Standards for Mine Action LAN Local Area Network LEP Landmine Education Programme MA Mine Awareness MACA Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan MAPA Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan MCPA Mine Clearance Planning Agency MDC Mine Detection Dog Centre MDG Mine Dog Group MDS Mine Dog Set META Monitoring, Training and Evaluation Agency MSF Medicine Sans Frontiers MTT Monitoring and Training Team NGO Non-governmental Organisation NOVIB Netherlands Organisation for International Development and Cooperation ODP Office for Disaster Preparedness, Government of Afghanistan OMAR Organisation for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation P.E.A.C.E Poverty Eradication and Community Empowerment ProMIS Programme Management Information System PSC Programme Support Cost RMAC Regional Mine Action Centre SAC Survey Action Centre SCA Swedish Committee for Afghanistan UN United Nations Review of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan vii UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund UNOCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan UXO Un-exploded Ordnance WHO World Health Organisation Review of the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan viii Executive Summary Purpose 1. The donors funding this review have provided in the region of US$ 30 million to the MAPA over the past ten years. Prior to providing more funds, these donor agencies require further evidence of the programmes impact and recommendations on how to develop the programme. The objectives of the review are as follows: a) To determine the benefit of mine action in Afghanistan to date in terms of: • humanitarian and socio-economic impact • technical effectiveness •