HUMANITARIAN MINE ACTION COLOMBIA. Community Liaison, Mine Risk Education and Non- Technical Survey in Mine-Affected Communities

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1 HUMANITARIAN MINE ACTION PROJECT: AREA COVERED: PARTNERS: Community Liaison, Mine Risk Education and Non- Technical Survey in Mine-Affected Communities National Territory Presidential Program for Mine Action (PAICMA) EXECUTING AGENCY: OAS Mine Action Program in Colombia (AICMA-CO) PERIOD: January - December 2011 TOTAL COST: US $ 420, Objectives Reduction of the risks presented by antipersonnel mines to communities in the most affected areas of Colombia in order to substantially reduce the number of victims. Conduct of non-technical surveys to improve significantly information available for the planning and execution of humanitarian demining operations, mine risk education campaigns and collection of data on civilian landmine victims Analysis of suspected hazardous areas in selected municipalities and release of land for use by the communities where clearance is not required. Evaluation of socio-economic, security and other relevant conditions in surveyed communities to ensure mine action activities meet the needs and expectations of affected communities and other key stakeholders. Description of Affected Areas In Colombia, 31 of the 32 departments are affected by antipersonnel mines. The Presidential Program for Mine Action (PAICMA) has determined that, as of January 2011, the units dedicated to humanitarian demining in communities will focus their efforts on the departments of Antioquia, Bolívar, Caldas, Meta, Nariño, Santander and Tolima. By the end of that year, clearance work is planned to extend to up to five other of the most affected departments. 27

2 A significant problem associated with mine clearance operations in severely affected communities is the lack of detailed information about mine contaminated areas. Although the national mine action authority has a database that contains information on more than 10,000 mine events, over 75% of the information has no geographic references, making it of limited value for planning dynamic, focused mine action activities. A Landmine Impact Survey is underway in four areas of the country, but its results are not expected to define the extent of contamination more clearly in those areas nor offer a detailed picture of mined areas that can assist in planning for clearance operations. Although several non-governmental, international and humanitarian organizations conduct mine-risk education activities in affected zones, they are reluctant to share information they have on contaminated areas with Colombian Armed Forces demining teams, citing concerns that they risk losing the perception of neutrality that allows them to effectively operate in these areas. Consequently, a more focused effort to identify mined areas on high-impact zones, analyze suspected hazardous areas for prioritization of clearance efforts, and release land that does not require technical clearance methods is urgently needed. Methodology The Presidential Program for Mine Action (PAICMA) establishes priorities for all mine action activities in Colombia and supervises humanitarian demining operations, as well as mine risk education (MRE) campaigns throughout the national territory. The OAS Comprehensive Action against Antipersonnel Mines Program in Colombia (AICMA-CO) is responsible for coordinating and providing Colombia s PAICMA with logistical, administrative, and human resource support by way of a coordination office in Bogotá. In addition to providing direct logistical support, technical advice, monitoring and quality control for humanitarian demining operations, AICMA-CO coordinates community liaison and mine risk education activities in the same areas where Colombian demining teams work before, during, and after clearance operations. These activities seek to increase understanding of and support for humanitarian demining and greater exchange between the civil population and humanitarian demining units. AICMA-CO established a community liaison / mine-risk education capacity in 2008 which is designed to gain the cooperation of the local population and understand its concerns and needs, gather detailed information about confirmed and suspected mined areas, identify landmine survivors who have not received adequate attention, and determine appropriate projects for the return of cleared land and communities to a basic level of economic activity. In 2010, this capability was further strengthened by training teams to conduct non-technical surveys in affected communities in order to enhance information collection on contaminated areas and release land not requiring technical survey or clearance. Teams are organized to support survey work in a specific municipality, with team members consisting of an AICMA-CO technical advisor/monitor for the department being surveyed, the AICMA-CO mine risk education coordinator, community liaison/mre promoters from the municipalities being surveyed, and members of the military s humanitarian demining battalion. Each team 28

3 contacts local authorities, as well as community leaders and residents, to collect information on all suspected hazardous areas in the community. The teams also meet with local military commanders to gather information on hazards previously encountered during military operations and on areas of previous military engagements that may have left mines or other explosive remnants. All collected information is physically investigated to provide confirmation of mined or hazardous areas or to cancel areas for release to the community. Reporting on all suspected and confirmed areas is systematically recorded into the AICMA- CO mine action database (IMSMA) and reported to PAICMA to allow for updating and purging of its database. Areas in progress (December 2010) Proposed areas (not later than 29

4 Activities Beginning in January 2011, AICMA-CO, in collaboration with PAICMA, will continue community liaison, mine risk education and non-technical survey activities in the departments of Antioquia, Bolivar, Caldas, Meta, Nariño, Santander and Tolima, in conjunction with humanitarian demining operations being conducted in those departments by the Colombian Armed Forces Humanitarian Demining Battalion. In addition, AICMA- CO will select additional staff from local community leaders from the departments of Arauca, Caquetá, Cauca, Putumayo, and Valle del Cauca to receive training and certification in community liaison, mine risk education, non-technical survey and preparation of reports. Upon completion of certification teams will expand the scope of activity to their respective departments. The municipalities selected within these departments by PAICMA will be among the fifty-eight most severely affected in the country where security conditions permit community liaison, MRE and survey activities without undue exposure of AICMA-CO staff or the local communities to the threat of attack or reprisal. To facilitate the return of displaced persons to their communities as these are cleared, AICMA-CO will offer micro-financing for productive projects. These projects will be based upon a process of needs assessment from the initiation of community liaison and MRE activities throughout the clearance of mined areas in the assisted communities. Projects are intended to serve as interim measures until long term involvement by the government and international entities can follow mine clearance operations to revitalize these fractured communities that in many cases have faced years of isolation from government services and assistance. Since these communities are mostly agricultural, the AICMA-CO agricultural engineer will evaluate each proposal presented by the community and recommend stipends between US$1,000 and US$3,000 to support a minimum of 24 projects lasting from six months to one year. Risks and Mitigation Strategies The primary risk is the presence of armed conflict that impedes or restricts the actions of humanitarian demining and mine risk education teams. The alteration of public order that would displace people from the area of work is one of the principal factors that could affect the project. Strategies to mitigate these risks vary from working with local authorities to coordination with the Armed Forces to increase personnel to provide security for AICMA- CO staff. Additionally, poor climate conditions are another factor that could inhibit, but not prevent, programmed activities. Operations can be highly affected by the difficult access and the poor conditions of roads in areas to be worked. 30

5 Human Resources AICMA-CO will provide technical, administrative and logistic coordination and support for up to 24 community liaison/mre staff personnel. Coordination is effected through the AICMA-CO chief of mission, in conjunction with PAICMA. The AICMA-CO chief is assisted by the AICMA-CO MRE coordinator, the IMSMA database technician and an agricultural engineer who provide staff supervision and coordination for the twelve departmental teams that carry out liaison, mine risk education and survey activities. The AICMA-CO agricultural engineer will provide technical assistance and advice to selected communities on productive project development to support the reincorporation of cleared lands. Monitoring and Evaluation Community liaison and mine risk education actions are monitored by the AICMA- CO chief of mission through the AICMA-CO staff MRE coordinator. The MRE coordinator conducts quarterly evaluations of the effectiveness of campaigns by surveying at least ten per cent of residents of communities that have recently received risk education materials and orientations through house-to-house visits, mass meetings and other media. A minimum retention rate of 80 per cent of the MRE message is the standard for confirmation of campaign effectiveness. Communities that are surveyed at less than this level will be programmed for renewed campaigns as soon as possible. Non-technical survey activities are monitored by PAICMA with the assistance the AICMA-CO chief of mission. The AICMA-CO monitoring component and the database technician review the data collected from reports, request corrections to data entries, as required, and enter all information into IMSMA. AICMA-CO presents PAICMA weekly results of non-technical surveys. A technical committee presided by PAICMA is in charge of planning non-technical surveys. The agricultural engineer will follow up on productive projects in each of their stages. Periodic visits allow for the evaluation of project advancement while allowing the engineer to provide technical assistance, recommendations and solutions. Reports will be provided in the following manner: There will be constant contact with AICMA community liaisons, via telephone, on the progress and efficiency of mine risk education efforts. Necessary adjustments are made depending on the particular situation in each locality. Once a month, AICMA-CO will present PAICMA with results of MRE campaigns and the progress made in recuperation of cleared lands. 31

6 AICMA-CO will provide monthly progress reports to AICMA-OAS in Washington, providing data on the number of people and communities contacted through MRE campaigns, the results of non-technical surveys, including statistics on identified mined areas and released land, as well as on clearance of mined areas. AICMA-OAS will send quarterly progress reports to donors on all project components. Additional information will be provided to the donor community or the National Authorities by AICMA-OAS upon request. Expected Results Maintenance of safe behaviors by the populations living in the areas where risk education campaigns are carried out, accompanied by the reduction in the occurrence of accidents and incidents. Expansion of non-technical survey activities to encompass a total of twelve Colombian departments. Confirmation of suspect hazardous areas for incorporation into planning for future clearance operations. Release of land in at least fifteen of the most severely mine-affected municipalities in Colombia (approximately 25% of the national total). Expansion of the landmine victim registry in order to correctly assess assistance needs and to ensure victims are receiving full benefits under Colombian law. Project Innovations The project offers innovative use of the community liaison/mre component of mine action to improve the national mine action database. The lack of detailed, reliable mine information has consistently been a weakness of the Colombian government s humanitarian demining efforts in the past. Without reliable information, clearance efforts have not been focused on areas of greatest need, but instead on those areas where information is available and security is adequate. Despite the importance of the expansion of clearance to many more areas of the country the lack of information has made demining operations less efficient than they could be. A previous study of over 15 different international mine action programs found that less than 2.5% of the area cleared by these efforts proved to be actually contaminated with landmines. As of mid-2010, the OAS non-technical survey methodology has resulted in significantly more land released, rather than cleared, in mineaffected Colombian communities. The ratio of land released by non-technical means to land cleared can reasonably be expected to exceed 4:1. This level of effectiveness would result in 32

7 clearance or release of approximately one million square meters of land each year, without further expansion of national clearance capacity. This project implements a process that involves the community, the promoters of preventive education, and a method to increase learning. First, liaison is established with the community generating a dialogue between the project and the community. Community members will be able to report the presence of mines and identify productive projects that would help in the recuperation of mined lands. This interaction will also allow for the collection of information about survivors who may have not been previously registered in affected zones. Another innovation is the enabling action brought about by micro-projects. These productive projects serve as a basic need for families that were forced to abandon their land and upon return cannot use the land due to a lack of social and economic resources. Micro-projects provide the means necessary for subsistence and work as an incentive to reincorporate cleared lands into the agricultural activities of the region. Project Impact The project will have a significant impact by improving the Colombian government s mine information database, permitting more focused and efficient clearance operations. Clearance and/or release of land will be highly important to affected communities and displaced populations who will be able to use their lands and return to their homes safely. Micro-projects will offer these communities the means to provide for their subsistence as lands are returned for use until government agencies can reinstate regional social and economic development programs. This support would contribute to the economic development and well being of the population fostering growth of area-sustaining capabilities. The affected community will generate new productive projects, strengthen the existing social networks, and face their daily activities with risk-minimizing behavior. Budget Summary Direct Costs US$ Personnel 223, Community Liaison, Mine Risk Education and Socioeconomic Recuperation 85, Logistical Support 61, Operational Support 4, Total Direct Costs 374, Indirect Costs 46, PROJECT TOTAL 420,