From 1 July UNMAS (United Nations Mine Action Service) staff transitioned to support the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and now form the Arms and Ammunition Advisory Section; a small team within the larger Security Sector Advisory Coordination Division of the mission. The section advises the mission on the mandated areas of mine action, ammunition management and weapons management in accordance with the expanded mission mandate under SG Resolution 2040 of 9 March 2012, which states under 6 (d) that, in addition to an extension of the mandate for one year, "decides further that the modified mandate of UNSMIL, in full accordance with the principles of national ownership, shall be to assist the Libyan authorities to define national needs and priorities throughout Libya, and to match these with offers of strategic and technical advice where appropriate, and support Libyan efforts to: counter illicit proliferation of all arms and related materiel of all types, in particular man-portable surface-to-air missiles, clear explosive remnants of war, conduct demining programmes, secure and manage Libya’s borders, and implement international conventions on chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and materials, in coordination with the relevant UN agencies, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and international and regional partners;"
UNMAS would like to thank all the JMACT partners for their dedicated work and the resulting successes of the past fifteen months. We look forward to continuing to work with you as the Arms and Ammunition Advisory Section, as we all strive to assist the Libyan people address the issues of ERW, weapons and ammunition.
In recognition of the broad mission mandate, and the continued interest of the international community, the Arms and Ammunition Advisory Section will continue to support and be involved in the coordination of mine action, risk education and PSSM activities on the ground, and to promote the work of all partners involved in these issues, including encouraging the on-going support of donors wherever possible.
The Arms and Ammunition Advisory Section is currently working with the senior leadership of both the mission and the Libyan government to advocate for clear roles and responsibilities amongst the various ministries, and to define a national architecture for the coordination and management of these issues.
Accordingly this will be the last newsletter produced under the JMACT umbrella. We believe the newsletter has been an effective medium to keep interested parties up to date with the activities of the organisations working in mine action and this will continue. Soon we will bring a new newsletter to the same database of contacts: one that covers not only traditional mine action and ERW clearance, but also work being done in the areas of Weapons and Ammunition Management. The Arms and Ammunition Advisory Section looks forward to continued support from both the organisations implementing activities on the ground, and from the donor community whose substantial support has, and continues to have, a positive impact toward reducing the direct threat to affected communities, and improving the security of the country as a whole.
2013 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects
Last month by separate email I announced on behalf of the Headquarters Portfolio Team (UNDP, UNICEF and UNMAS), the launch of the 2013 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects process. Earlier this year a Portfolio of projects was coordinated by UNMAS for 2012; the first ever for Libya. To see the current year’s portfolio click on http://goo.gl/sAbnf
The Portfolio serves as a valuable tool for coordination and is an important reference for donors, policy-makers, advocates, and national and international mine action implementers. The country-specific proposals reflect the strategic response developed in the field to the problem of landmines and explosive remnants of war. The web-based system called the "Automated Portfolio" remains the vehicle for the 2013 Portfolio. The automated system helps streamline work processes and allows you to submit and review inputs online: www.mineaction.org/ap
The deadline for the submission of projects has been extended by a few days to Wednesday September 5 so please get in touch with Yumikoy@unops.org if you would like to submit a project and we will share the login details. Accordingly, please let Yumiko know if you have any questions on the process. Note that should you have a project in the 2012 portfolio that is planned to be on-going into 2013 it is possible to copy this and update it to next year making the process relatively straightforward. The Portfolio of Mine Action Projects is open to national organisations to contribute, so if you are a national NGO or authority working in mine action or ammunition and weapons related issues you may wish to incude your projects and funding requirements.
Current Activties Update
Humanitarian Mine Action
The period of Ramadan is now over and during this time many of the mine action implementing partners took the opportunity to stand down for a break, or worked reduced hours. Amongst those organisations that continued throughout July and August, 17,033 items of ERW were found and removed.
People were more difficult to reach over this period to conduct risk education sessions. However those organisations who continued did so facilitating sessions with people, including children in creative ways. As it is also the school holidays children have been and continue to be reached in mosques in Misrata, with the cooperation of Imams and even on the beaches in some areas. From the beginning of July to date, 4,916 Libyan people across all areas of operations received Risk Education sessions through direct contact with a Risk Education facilitator. At least one implementing partner has started including specific messages about Small Arms Light Weapons during their Risk Education sessions.
There have been no accidents reported during July and August which is great news for the Libyan population and also a great tribute to the work of those who continue to keep people appraised of the risk and aware of how to avoid the threat that remains.
Operations remain suspended in Sirte, with no permission yet being granted for internationals to return. Further coordinations and discussions with the Sirte council are imminent.
Ammunition Management
The UNMAS BAC/EOD teams tasked to the Al-Jufrah region commenced operations on 8 July. The Ammunition Management Assessment and Rehabilitation teams commenced re-securing ammunition in the same region, specifically in Sabha and Hun, on the same date. During July and August 2012, 14,989 items of ERWs were found, and a total of 5,036 items of Small Arms Ammunition were located and re-secured. A total land area of 256,928 sqm has been searched and declared safe.
Impact by Numbers
The following statistics are the results of the NGO's, both national and international, who are working to address the threat posed by Explosive Remnants of War and Unexploded Ordnance in Libya.
From March 2011 to the end of June 2012 international NGO's and the UN partnered to form the The Joint Mine Action Coordination Team (JMACT), working together with the Libyan Mine Action Centre and Ministry of Education to present a coordinated response to the threat that arose in Libya following the 2011 conflict.
Following UNMAS' transition to become the Arms and Ammuniton Advisory Section UNSMIL the coordinated response continues, with the UN continuing to work alongside the various partners and NGO's to provide coordination, prioritisation of clearance tasks and liaison with the various national authorities.
The statistics incorporate the period since work began in March 2011 to date.
Number of Clearance Teams 18
Number of Risk Education Teams 7
Number of Mine/ERW Cleared 331,687
Number of Schools Cleared 121
Number of Houses Cleared 2,824
Number of Direct Risk Education Beneficiaries 189,555
Number of International Staff 42
Number of National Staff 259