Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2013
(6) Unexploded Ordnance, Antipersonnel Landmines, and Small Arms and Light Weapons, etc.
In post-conflict regions, unexploded ordnance (UXO) including cluster munitions and antipersonnel landmines remain, and illegal small arms and light weapons are still widespread. These explosive remnants of war indiscriminately harm children and other members of the general public, and not only hinder reconstruction and development activities, but can also become the cause of new conflicts. It is important to provide support that takes into consideration the security concerns of the affected country, through assistance including the clearance of UXOs and landmines, the collection and disposal of illegal small arms and light weapons, and the empowerment of landmine victims.
<Japan’s Efforts>
As a state party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, Japan has actively encouraged other nations to ratify or accede to these Conventions through its universalization efforts. Japan is also consistently involved in international cooperation for clearance, victim assistance, risk reduction education and other projects set forth in both conventions.
For example, in Parwan Province in Afghanistan, a specified non-profit corporation, the Japan Mine Action Service (JMAS), has been conducting operations to remove landmines and UXOs for seven years since FY2006 under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects scheme, aiming to secure a safe living environment, promote the repatriation of the refugees, and establish economic infrastructure that contributes to regional economic development. It is reported that the seven-year operations successfully completed the demining of the area equivalent to 53 Tokyo Domes (total about 2.4 million m2; Tokyo Dome is 46,755 m2) and the removal of 7,614 anti-personnel landmines and 3,240 UXOs.
Laos is one of the countries deeply affected by UXOs. In 2011, a project focusing on countermeasures for UXOs was set up, and its three pillars of cooperation are: (i) dispatching an expert on UXOs; (ii) providing equipment; and (iii) South-South Cooperation. Japan has experience in supporting Cambodia to clear landmines since the 1990s, and it has been implementing a 3-year South-South Cooperation project to facilitate Laos and Cambodia to share knowledge with each other through holding several workshops on UXO/Mine Action. This cooperation aims to share their knowledge and experience on techniques, training, drafting national standards and supporting victims.
Furthermore, in March 2013, as a contribution to the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA), Emergency Grant Aid was provided for the humanitarian mine clearance activities conducted by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) which is located in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations through the UN Trust Fund in support of AFISMA. In addition, assistance for mine/UXO action (e.g., clearance, risk reduction education) is provided in other countries including Afghanistan, South Sudan, Somalia, the Republic of Congo and Libya.
To tackle the issues of small arms and light weapons, Japan provides support for the collection, disposal, and appropriate storage and management of small arms, combined with development assistance. With a view to improving security as well as strengthening the capacity to regulate the import and export of weapons, Japan also supports the development of relevant legal systems, capacity enhancement of customs agencies, police forces and other law enforcement agencies, and DDR for former soldiers and child soldiers.
A specialist discussing operation policies with the staff of Angola’s National Institute for Demining (INAD) (Photo: Kayo Omachi / JICA Angola Field Office)
●Colombia
Strengthening the Integral Rehabilitation System for Persons with Disabilities, Especially for Victims of Landmines
Technical Cooperation Project (August 2008 - August 2012)
In Colombia, anti-personnel landmines have been used for more than 40 years in the ongoing armed conflict between militant forces and the government. As a result, Colombia has one of the world’s highest rates of landmine inflicted injury and death. In 2005 and 2006, more than 1,000 people fell victim to landmines in each of the years, with Colombia recording the world’s highest number of landmine victims. The 2005 census in Colombia revealed that 2.65 million people, or 6.3% of the population, have disabilities.
In light of this situation, enhancing the rehabilitation system for persons with disabilities, including those injured by landmines, has been a pressing need. Between 2008 and 2012, JICA implemented a Technical Cooperation Project in Antioquia Department, where there are many landmine victims, and in Valle Department, where there are a number of hospitals that would make suitable rehabilitation centers.
As a result of the dispatch of Japanese experts to Colombia and the training of Colombians in Japan, rehabilitation manuals for amputations and visual impairments caused by landmines have been created and are utilized at Colombian medical centers. The system to rehabilitate individual patients has also been enhanced, since doctors, physiotherapists and occupational therapists worked in teams.
Furthermore, the project conducted a campaign for mine risk education in communities and provided first aid training for local leaders and firefighters. Additionally, landmine victims themselves held seminars on the rights of people with disabilities and their social reintegration and social participation of landmine victims, which has contributed to changing the perceptions of both victims themselves and their communities as a whole.
An outreach officer giving training at one of the project’s beneficiary areas using the “Guide on the Rights and Obligations of People With Disabilities” that was created by the project (Photo: JICA)