Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships for Humanitarian Mine Action

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs invited non-governmental organizations, foreign officials and Federal agencies to a meeting February 9-11 in Washington to study new ways that the public and private sectors can cooperate to make the world safe from the devastating humanitarian impact of persistent landmines.

More than 80 representatives from civic associations, demining organizations, and humanitarian groups, including officials from Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq and the United States analyzed the results of the public-private partnership program. The program reinforces humanitarian mine action, mine clearance, mine risk education and mine survivors’ assistance. Additionally, the attendees charted new initiatives to better harmonize non-governmental organizations’ mine action programs and to increase civil society support.

The workshop, organized by the Bureau’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement and facilitated by James Madison University’s Mine Action Information Center, also familiarized participants with the humanitarian and security threats posed by illicitly trafficked small arms and light weapons to include man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). As with persistent landmines, uncontrolled and illegally trafficked small arms and light weapons endanger public health and hinder development.

The results of the workshop and a calendar of evolving post-workshop initiatives will soon be posted at a special website hosted by the Mine Action Information Center at http://maic.jmu.edu/conference/proceedings/partnership2005.

The 56 participating organizations included: Adopt-A-Minefield; Afghan Technical Consultants; The Barrie School; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Center for International Rehabilitation; Chicago Coalition for Landmine Action; Children of Armenia Fund; Children’s Surgical Center; Clear Path International; Cranfield University; Danish Church Aid; Demining Agency for Afghanistan; Embassy of Colombia; European Commission; Freedom Fields USA; Golden West Humanitarian Foundation; Grapes for Humanity; Handicap International; The HALO Trust; Help Handicap International; Humpty Dumpty Institute; Iraq National Mine Action Authority; Iraq Mine/UXO Clearance Organization (IMCO); Landmines Blow!; Landmine Survivors Network; Marshall Legacy Institute; Medical Care Development International; Mine Action Information Center; Mines Advisory Group (MAG); Mine Clearance Planning Agency (Afghanistan); One Sri Lanka Foundation; Organization of American States (OAS); Peace Trees Vietnam; People to People International; Polus Center for Social and Economic Development; Prestige Health Care Technologies; Prosthetics Outreach Foundation; RONCO Consulting Corporation; Roots of Peace; Rotary International Trade Education Foundation; Rotarians for Mine Action; Saybrook Productions; South Florida Landmine Action Group (SFLAG); Spirit of Soccer; Survey Action Center; United Nations Foundation; United Nations Mine Action Service; U.S. Agency for International Development Leahy War Victims Fund; U.S. Army Night Vision and Electronics Sensors Directorate; U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Mine Action Program; U.S. Department of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research;; Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped; Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation; Walter Reed Army Medical Center; and World Rehabilitation Fund.

2005/197 MEDIA NOTE