Based on desk review and qualitative interviews with land release operators, local and international humanitarian actors, government representatives, community leaders, survivors and members of their families and communities, this report identifies and describes the negative impact of Explosive Ordnance (EO) contamination on affected communities in the Ninewa governorate, Iraq. EO continues to pose a threat to people’s lives, their safety, and their access to land and other resources and services in contaminated areas in Ninewa. It also hampers the efforts of humanitarian and development actors. Moreover, certain groups, such as women and persons with disabilities are likely to be more vulnerable to the reverberating effects of EO contamination.
The report focused on Iraq’s heavily populated governorate of Ninewa, home to the cities of Mosul, Sinjar, and Tel Afar. Demining bombed-out cities costs six times as much as it does to clear a rural setting.
This year’s Intersessional Meetings are particularly important given efforts to build upon the established baseline for the implementation of the Oslo Action Plan (OAP).
The sessions included:
Preliminary Observations of the Convention's Committees
Thematic Session – Mandate of the President
Thematic Session - Victim Assistance: Establishing or Strengthening a Centralised Database
Thematic Session: Integrating Gender and the Diverse Needs of Affected Communities in Operational Planning and Prioritization
Informal Presentation of Requests for Extensions to be considered by the Nineteenth Meeting of the States Partie
Thematic Session: Completion and Sustainable National Capacities
Thematic Session: Mobilising Resources Towards a Mine-Free World
The purpose of these Guidelines is to assist humanitarian actors and communities affected by armed conflict, natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies to coordinate, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate essential actions for the prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence (GBV) across all sectors of humanitarian response. Part One presents an overview of GBV, provides an explanation for why GBV is a protection concern for all humanitarian actors and outlines recommendations for ensuring implementation of the Guidelines. Part Two provides a background to the ‘thematic areas’ in Part Three. It also introduces the guiding principles and approaches that are the foundation for all planning and implementation of GBV-related programming. Part Three constitutes the bulk of these Guidelines. It provides specific guidance, organized into thirteen thematic area sections: camp coordination and camp management; child protection; education; food security and agriculture; health; housing, land and property; humanitarian mine action; livelihoods; nutrition; protection; shelter, settlement and recovery; water, sanitation and hygiene; humanitarian operations support sectors. The importance of cross-sectoral coordination is highlighted in each section. It is also recommended that sector actors review the content of all thematic area sections. The Guidelines draw from many tools, standards, background materials and other resources developed by the United Nations, national and international non-governmental organizations, and academic sources. In each thematic area there is a list of resources specific to that area, and additional GBV-related resources are provided in Annex 1. The importance of indicators being disaggregated by sex, age, disability and other vulnerability factors is highlighted throughout.
This guide offers a full understanding of the current challenges faced by children in armed conflict and the international law, norms and developments that apply to children in these situations. It is divided into two sections: the first gives sets out the background context of the situation; and the second section looks at particular issue faced by children affected by armed conflict and the international law and other developments that attempt to address these issues. The conclusion of the guide, examines the extent of the application of international law and standards, according to the experience of children and young people from Colombia and northern Uganda. There are also a number of annexes designed to further assist practitioners in their analysis, advocacy efforts, provision of care and practice
“"This document is primarily intended to provide recommendations to States Parties on each action related to victim assistance in such a way as to facilitate a holistic and integrated approach to addressing the rights and needs of mine victims. The recommendations are not intended to replace existing plans, but rather, should be considered as ideas for enhancing the implementation of the Cartagena Action Plan in the period 2010 to 2014"
This report provides recommendations to support stakeholders involved in creating and updating national action plans on victim assistance throughout the period 2010-2014. The recommendations are in accordance with the Cartagena Action Plan and other international humanitarian and human rights standards. The report provides a background on victim assistance and highlights recommendations using six key elements. This report is useful for countries affected by mines/explosive remnants of war (ERW), survivors, disabled persons’ organisations (DPO) and other civil society representatives, international organisations and countries committed to international cooperation
This paper presents the priorities and challenges during the period 2010-2014 of Victim assistance in the context of the AP Mine Ban Convention. It provides a brief introduction, outlines the evolution of the status of victim assistance in the context of the Convention, applies the understandings and framework for strategic action, and presents the challenges and actions to address the challenges in fulfilling the Convention’s promise to survivors
This report is the result of a comprehensive research project to improve understanding of the impact of cluster munitions by documenting short-, mid- and long-term casualties; the cumulative effects of disability and mortality; and the socio-economic impacts on families and communities
This report aims to highlight good practices, strategies, tools and operational methods that guarantee the sustainability of projects that support access to funding mechanisms and the self-employment of people with disabilities. More specifically, the study focuses on the use of microcredit enterprises and grants for the start-up and expansion of microenterprises. Developed in partnership with a diverse range of organisations of/for people with disabilities and microfinance providers, the report highlights the significant exclusion of people with diabilities from mainstream microfinance institutions and subsequently presents two solutions: firstly to develop schemes that promote the inclusion of people with disabilites; secondly to develop financial services by organisations of/for people with disabilities themselves. This report would be of relevance to anybody working in the fields of international development, disability or microfinance
This publication is aimed at presenting the viewpoint and position of Handicap International through comprehensive texts on ethical, political and social questions relating to international solidarity
This convention is addressed to State parties outlining the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and on their destruction. It outlines 22 articles on obligations, international cooperation and ground rules in which States Parties are bound to comply. It states victim assistance duties for care and rehabilitation and stresses the role of public conscience for the ban of anti-personnel mines