Asia - Africa Cooperation Project in Training of National Personnel in Mine Action Technical and Support Activities
Programme Summary

Decades of conflicts and warfare have made the countries participating in this project some of the countries most severely affected by landmine and unexploded ordinance (UXO) in the world. Much of the mine-infested land in these countries is classified as being "high priority." High priority lands are those areas which represent significant social or economic value to the local communities or which when cleared will facilitate follow on activities. In these countries, the first step in the transition from wartime relief to rehabilitation and onward to development, is mine awareness and mine clearance. It is the elimination of the threat of mine accidents that makes subsequent resettlement, food self-sufficiency, commercial market development and the provision of basic services, possible. Each and every one of the participating countries have developed mine awareness, training and demining activities and practices which are unique to their countries. On an international scale, the mine awareness, training and demining techniques developed are the most advanced in the world. However, few if any regular mechanisms and channels for learning between Asia and Africa exists in the field of Mine Action.

1. Objectives
   The project immediate objective is to enable national technical personnel of Asian and African countries to share technical information and know-how on undertaking de-mining activities. The project will aim ultimately at reducing risk of injury to local population, particularly children and youth as well as to enable productive use of mine infested land.
2. Activities / contents
   This project will first set up mechanisms for exchange of techniques, practices and personnel between the mine action programmes in the four most mine and UXO infested countries in Asia and Africa.
   The project will employ four main activities:
   1. National staff from the participating countries will be given 2-4 months internships with another of the participating Mine Action programmes. This will enable a thorough familiarization with main aspects of existing programmes.
   2. 4 workshops will be arranged to give four countries (to be selected) a platform to disseminate their practices and techniques, for participating countries to study best practices developed elsewhere. The workshops will be organized by the mine action programmes already in place in the countries under the project.
   3. Based on the exchanges under 1) and 2) the project will support the development of enhanced mine action techniques in both the areas of awareness, training and de mining techniques in the participating countries through training and capacity building programmes.
   4. An additional number of mine infested countries in Asia and Africa will participate in dissemination workshops based on the findings of the project in its final stages.
3. Expected outcomes / impacts
   Asian and African technical personnel will have shared information and technical know-how on most aspects of mine action, including clearance, training, mine awareness, evaluation, minefield survey and data collection and analysis, as suited to each country situation. The long-term technical capacity and management skills of national institutions involved in mine action will have been strengthened particularly at field level.
4. Features in line with the Agenda for Action
   This project is identified in the Agenda for Action under Section on Governance, Conflict Prevention and Post Conflict Development.

Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, UNDP New York in cooperation with United Nations Administration Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs