Requested by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions, Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
Carried out by Anne Capelle and Chris Lang Independent Consultants.
Executive Summary
1. Background
The purpose of this evaluation was to define the future course of the United Nations Mine Action Co-ordination Centre in terms of what it does and how it executes its tasks. It is an opportune time to undertake such an evaluation as in the past year the number of challenges that have faced the UNMACC and the DRC in general have abated and for the first time since its inception the MACC is fully funded for 2008.
According to its mandate (SCR 1291 2000) MONUC is required "to deploy mine action experts to assess the scope of the mine and unexploded ordnance problems, coordinate the initiation of mine action activities, develop a mine action plan and carry out emergency mine action activities as required in support of its mandate"
Pursuant to this resolution the UNMAS developed a mine action programme to deal with landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the country in order to assist MONUC in fulfilling its mandate
The UN Mine Action Coordination Centre in the DRC (UNMACC-DRC) was created in February 2002, with offices in Kinshasa and Kisangani. Today the UNMACC operates out of Kinshasa, Bunia (Ituri) and Bukavu (South Kivu).
The UNMACC has operated in a context where the scope and impact of the landmine and unexploded ordnance problem is ill defined and where the UNMACC has faced numerous logistical challenges and continued conflict.