Annual report 2009 - Handicap International

xz Landmines and cluster munitionsTowards a world free of minesand cluster munitionsIn 2009, the general public continued to support the campaign against clustermunitions, and there was growing awareness on the part of the internationalcommunity of the need to ban these weapons. Handicap International scaled upits activities to promote the entry into force of the Oslo Treaty. The associationcontinues to assist the victims of mines and cluster munitions and is expecting tomake major advances in its mine clearance efforts.By bearing witness and influencing opinion, HandicapInternational has raised the awareness of governmentsand the public to the urgent need to end thescandal of mines and cluster munitions. The prospect ofthe entry into force of the Oslo Treaty, signed at the endof 2008, increased with each passing month, but 2009was otherwise uneventful. Hope for populations in the fieldcame from an innovative approach that will ensure the rapidrelease of land suspected of being polluted by mines andcluster munitions. The possibility of a major global reductionin the number of sites registered as dangerous, and the surfacearea they cover, has rekindled the interest of internationalfunding bodies. These major obstacles to developmentare therefore expected to disappear faster than expected.Handicap International welcomes this advance, to whichthe association made a major contribution as an operatorin the field and by chairing the Survey Action Center, an organisationat the cutting-edge of mine clearance methods.xz Areas of activityRisk managementA major project to develop a global risk managementconcept applicable to all Handicap International’s operationswas completed in 2009. The concept is divided intothree fields:– Evaluation: the KAP method (Knowledge, Attitudes andPractices) has become one of the association’s specialitiesin its field actions. It involves understanding and analysingthe way in which populations manage the risks posed bymines and cluster munitions, then evaluating the improvementsneeded in terms of education, facilitation anddemining.– Mine and cluster munitions risk education: this can beprovided as part of an emergency operation in the wakeof a specific crisis, or over the long-term in areas pollutedduring a conflict.– Facilitation/coordination: this consists in taking actionin villages or neighbourhoods to prepare for the arrival ofdeminers by explaining their role and their authority to limitaccess to certain dangerous areas. This method helps preventmisunderstandings and possible clashes with the localpopulation. Working with communities also provides informationabout the history and use of the land in question thatis extremely useful when it comes to releasing it.Countries: Afghanistan x Algeria x Mozambique x Senegal xSomalia x Somaliland x Sudan x Thailand.Land releaseDemining underwent a major change in approach in 2009.New international standards, inspired by the reflection andpractices of the full range of demining operators, now allowlocal authorities to confirm a near-zero risk situation in anarea registered as suspect in the UN database. Following anin-depth survey (analysis, observation and archive research)involving all the relevant parties (owners, representatives oflocal institutions, operators, and members of the community),large areas can now be released to local populationswithout deploying expensive demining techniques.This means that demining efforts can now be focused onland that is actually polluted, marking a considerable stepforward. However, the process is not easy to implement, raisingcomplex responsibility issues as there is no such thingas zero risk. The surveys conducted by operators must thereforebe of an irreproachable quality to ensure these newstandards do not lead to an underestimation of the real risksto local populations.14 ı Annual report 2009