Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Afghanistan

Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan Strategic plan 2003 - 2012


Executive Summary
Introduction

Afghanistan is heavily contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance, known contaminated totalling approximately 788.7 sqkm, of which 157.7 sqkm. of land affects high-impacted communities. The Afghan Transitional Authority and state institutions are now working to restore proper function, and real progress is being demonstrated; there is massive international investment in rebuilding the infrastructure. In July 2002, President Karzai announced that Afghanistan would become a state party to the Mine Ban Treaty (the Ottawa Convention), and the Government established an ambitious target - to free Afghanistan from the impact of anti-personnel mines within five years. The strategic plan has been designed to achieve this objective.

Strategic Vision

Afghanistan shall be a country free from the threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance, where individuals and communities live in a safe environment conducive to development, and where mine victims are fully integrated into society.

Strategic Objective

By 2007, the impact of landmines and UXO shall be removed from all high impacted areas in all regions of Afghanistan.

Mine Action Strategic Response

In support of the overall strategic objective, sectoral objectives have been developed as follows:

Advocacy and the Mine Ban Convention: To promote effective implementation of Afghanistan’s Mine Ban Convention obligations and to encourage support for the humanitarian norm of banning landmines among the Afghan population.

Coordination: To implement a coordinated strategy for mine action in Afghanistan in order to achieve safer, more efficient and effective implementation of mine action components.

Mine survey: Impact Survey: To gather information on the impact of hazards at a community level and, for the Afghan specific Retrofit Survey, to verify the presence and whereabouts of hazards. Technical Survey - To gather precise technical and geographical information on mine and UXO contamination land and marking areas for the protection of civilians and subsequent clearance activities

Mine and UXO Clearance: To ensure that priority areas are made mine and UXO-free in order to prevent injury to innocent civilians (especially refugees and other vulnerable groups) and to allow for economic activity and reconstruction to take place unhindered by mines/UXO.

Mine Risk Education: To reduce injuries and casualties related to mines and UXO in Afghanistan by raising awareness about mines/UXO amongst all sectors of Afghan society with a special emphasis on women, children and youth and to promote safe behaviour for affected communities.

Training: To ensure that appropriate capacity-building and technical training are carried out within MAPA and among selected Government representatives so that the safety and efficiency of mine action component activities is enhanced.

Monitoring and Evaluation: To implement a Total Quality Management (TQM) plan that will guarantee the standard of MAPA component activities, and assist MAPA agencies to achieve continuous improvement in the quality of their work, as well as the safety, efficiency and effectiveness with which they carry out their activities.


Resource Requirements


Total programme costs peaked in 2002/03 at $67m, with substantial expenditure on vehicles and equipment, and on the training of new teams. The annual costs are expected to drop to $52 million in 2004, and thereafter will reduce steadily over the next 10 years

Conclusion

This paper outlines a strategic plan for the MAPA that is ambitious but achievable. Investment in vehicles, equipment and human skills has created a most effective national mine action capability - but a significant level of international funding must be maintained if the programme is to reach its full potential.

(in pdf* format - 95.1 KB)