A Message From Deputy Assistant Secretary Marik String

This 18th Edition of To Walk the Earth In Safety summarizes the United States’ Conventional Weapons Destruction (CWD) programs in 2018. CWD assistance provides the United States with a powerful and flexible tool to help partner countries manage their stockpiles of munitions, destroy excess small arms and light weapons (SA/LW) and clear explosive hazards such as landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Our assistance also helps countries destroy illicitly-held or poorly-secured man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) and mitigate their threat to civilian aviation and public safety.

In today’s dynamic world, threats to U.S. national security abound. The work carried out by the Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA) through its CWD programs is essential to protecting civilians and advancing our nation’s interests. From my work as a Reserve Naval Officer and as a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I understand the need for a robust effort to secure weapons so they do not fall into the hands of nefarious actors.

Stockpiles of excess, poorly-secured, or otherwise at-risk conventional weapons remain a serious challenge to peace and prosperity in many countries. Poorly-secured munitions are illicitly diverted to terrorists and other destabilizing actors. Explosive hazards continue to kill and maim people long after conflicts have ended, preventing the safe return of displaced people and suppressing economic opportunities that are crucial to prosperity and political stability. As long as these dangers persist, it is difficult for communities to recover from conflict.

Since late 2015, the United States and our partners in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS have cleared IEDs from critical infrastructure in Iraq and Syria including hospitals, schools, and water pumping stations, facilitating the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars in stabilization assistance and humanitarian aid into liberated areas. In this regard, explosive hazard clearance serves as an essential enabler for follow-on stabilization and humanitarian assistance. CWD programs such as this lay the foundation for long-term benefits. U.S. humanitarian demining assistance to Vietnam began in 1993 and helped set the stage for our current bilateral relationship. In the near term, across Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, CWD programs focused on excess and poorly-secured weapons have helped keep those weapons out of the hands of criminals and terrorists.

Since 1993, the United States has provided more than $3.4 billion in CWD assistance to over 100 countries. In 2018, we had active CWD programs in 59 countries. These programs are implemented by commercial contractors, nongovernmental organizations, and international organizations.

United States CWD programs are tied to key U.S. foreign policy priorities and play a direct role in keeping U.S. citizens and our allies safe, while also clearing the way for a stable, secure, and prosperous future in countries that are key to U.S. security interests. Thanks to the U.S. Congress’ bipartisan support and generosity of the American people, we can attest that our goal remains a future in which all may walk the earth in safety.

Marik String
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Political-Military Affairs

Global Overview of the U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction (CWD) Program 1993-2018

Commonly Used Acronyms and Abbreviations

The United States' Commitment to Conventional Weapons Destruction

Stockpiles of excess, poorly-secured, or otherwise at-risk conventional weapons continue to pose a challenge to peace and prosperity worldwide. In the wrong hands, SA/LW fuel political instability and violence, while more advanced conventional weapons, such as MANPADS, pose a serious threat to international security. Aging munitions stockpiles may also explode without warning, devastating nearby population centers. Meanwhile, landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), including cluster munition remnants, artillery shells, and mortars, continue to kill and maim people even after conflicts end. Clearing land paves the way for stabilization assistance to move forward, allowing displaced persons to return home, economic revitalization to begin, and political stability to take root.

The U.S. Government’s Collaborative Approach

The United States is committed to reducing these threats worldwide and is the leading financial supporter of CWD, providing more than $3.4 billion in assistance to more than 100 countries since 1993. This makes the United States the world’s single largest financial supporter of CWD. The Department of State, Department of Defense, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) work together with foreign governments, private companies, and international and nongovernmental organizations to reduce excess SA/LW and conventional munitions stockpiles (including MANPADS), implement physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) best practices at conventional weapons storage sites, and carry out humanitarian mine action programs.

In 2018, PM/WRA managed global overseas programs with $189 million* in CWD assistance. It also led the U.S. Interagency MANPADS Task Force, which coordinates counter-MANPADS efforts by the Departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security, and other relevant stakeholders, and helps partner nations eliminate or better secure their MANPADS. The Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining Training Center (HDTC) trains deminers, ammunition handlers, and stockpile managers from partner countries. The Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program (HD R&D) improves CWD technologies, enhancing the efficiency and safety of humanitarian demining operations around the world. USAID assists mine and UXO survivors, providing medical and rehabilitative care, through its Leahy War Victims Fund.

Department of State Support for CWD

Through PM/WRA, the Department of State has managed more than 70 percent (over $2.4 billion) of the United States’ more than $3.4 billion contribution to CWD since 1993, with a three-fold objective:

1. Enhance U.S. and international security by destroying and securing SA/LW, including MANPADS, at risk of proliferation to terrorists, insurgents, and other violent non-state actors;
2. Remediate ERW, returning land to safe and productive use; and
3. Accelerate achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives by broadening support for CWD efforts.

PM/WRA partners with nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, educational institutions, and private sector contractors to implement its programs. Robust project performance standards, enhanced monitoring and evaluation strategies, and a comprehensive program planning process guide PM/WRA’s resource allocation decisions and hold implementing partners accountable.

The measurable, tangible results that flow from the U.S. government’s commitment to CWD programs strongly support U.S. foreign policy priorities. In addition, these programs help protect the lives and livelihoods of civilians so they can more safely remain in their own countries. We look forward to continuing this important work.

*Initial planned allocations

Implementing Partners

Nongovernmental Organizations Headquartered in the United States

Catholic Relief Services (CRS), established in 1943, is the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. For more than a decade, CRS has worked to reduce the risk of injury or death from landmines and UXO in Vietnam and trained children, teachers, parents, and community members in MRE. http://crs.org .

Golden West Humanitarian Foundation (Golden West) is a California-based nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to the development of innovative technologies to overcome the operational limitations encountered in humanitarian mine action efforts. It conducts surveys and assessments, and develops MRE materials, as well as mine and UXO disposal technologies. http://goldenwesthf.org .

Health Leadership International (HLI) is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that provides sustainable medical training to rural healthcare providers in Laos. Partnering with the Laotian Ministry of Health, HLI has provided medical training for the past eight years in emergency clinical medicine, ultrasound imaging, medical leadership, and medical English to hundreds of Laotian health care workers. http://healthleadershipinternational.org .

The International Center is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that focuses on issues between the United States and the developing world. Its Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation program, which has been active in Vietnam since 1994, addresses the consequences of war through its mine and UXO impact survey and by strengthening the national capacity of Vietnamese mine action agencies. http://ic-vvaf.org .

The Landmine Relief Fund, a California-based nonprofit, was created in 2004 to support the work of an all-Cambodian demining nongovernmental organization, Cambodian Self Help Demining (CSHD). http://landmine-relief-fund.com .

Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) is a Virginia-based nonprofit organization founded to help restore hope, alleviate suffering, and nurture stability in war-torn countries. MLI has established indigenous programs in 14 mine-affected countries that help rid them of landmines and their lasting impact. http://marshall-legacy.org .

PeaceTrees Vietnam is a Seattle-based nongovernmental organization founded in 1995 as a grassroots effort to bring peace, friendship, and renewal to the people of Quang Tri, one of the most war-torn provinces of Vietnam. PeaceTrees’ work includes mine and UXO clearance, landmine awareness programs, survivor assistance, scholarships to landmine survivors and their families, and community restoration projects. http://peacetreesvietnam.org .

The Polus Center for Social and Economic Development (Polus), established in 1979, is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit nongovernmental organization. The organization partners with public and private foundations to address the impact of mines and UXO on communities around the world. http://poluscenter.org .

World Education, Inc., a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization, was founded in 1951 to meet the needs of the educationally disadvantaged and provides training and technical assistance in nonformal education across a wide array of sectors. World Education has worked to support survivor assistance and MRE. http://worlded.org .

International and Foreign Nongovernmental Organizations

Afghan Amputee Bicyclists for Rehabilitation and Recreation (AABRAR) is an Afghan non-government organization that is concerned with the rehabilitation and socio-economic integration of disabled people and other vulnerable groups into the community. In its inception in 1992, AABRAR began a bicycle-training program for amputees to improve mobility and increase their independence, enabling them to travel to and from work, and save on transportations costs. Since then, AABRAR has expanded its activities.

Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC), established in 1989, was the first humanitarian demining nongovernmental organization in Afghanistan endorsed by the United Nations. ATC works to reduce civilian casualties and enable land release through detection, clearance, and MRE activities. http://atc-wlfhdngo.org.af .

Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy Conservation in Afghanistan (AREA) is an Afghan nongovernmental organization providing its Community Based Mine Clearance Program (CBMCP) throughout the most insecure areas of Afghanistan. CBMCP transfers skills so that local communities can conduct their own mine and UXO clearance. AREA seeks to integrate demining and development through employment and procurement within the local economy. asryusufi@hotmail.com.

Colombian Campaign Against Landmines (CCCM) monitors fulfillment of the Ottawa Convention on behalf of the Colombian government, compiles reports each year for the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, and supports survivor assistance and MRE. http://colomniasinminas.org .

DanChurchAid (DCA) is an independent ecumenical humanitarian organization based in Copenhagen, Denmark, which provides humanitarian assistance and mine action programs which combine MRE, mine clearance, and community development activities. http://dca.dk .

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a nonprofit organization that works worldwide to help and protect refugees, internally displaced, and other conflict-affected persons. http://drc.ngo .

Danish Demining Group (DDG) is a humanitarian mine action unit in the Danish Refugee Council, which assists individuals and populations hampered by mines, UXO, and SA/LW. https://drc.ngo .

Delvon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH) is a Sri Lankan humanitarian demining organization founded in 2010. DASH’s goal is to increase the safety and security of people living in mine-affected areas through the removal and destruction of mines and UXO. To support sustainable post-conflict recovery, DASH strives to employ displaced persons, especially widows and female heads of household. http://slnmac.gov.lk/dash .

Demining Agency for Afghanistan (DAFA), formed in 1990, is an Afghan humanitarian mine clearance organization. DAFA’s mission is to clear all hazardous and mine-contaminated areas in Afghanistan by committing resources to humanitarian demining, clearance for road reconstruction, local government-sponsored construction plans, and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration. sattar_dafa@yahoo.ca or dafafinance@yahoo.com.

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), formed in 1998, supports the ongoing improvement of mine action performance. The center enables national authorities, mine action organizations, and other partners to do their jobs better by furthering knowledge, promoting norms and standards, and developing capacity. http://gichd.org .

The HALO Trust (HALO) is an American and British nonprofit charity specializing in the removal of mines and UXO from post-conflict zones. Since pioneering the concept of humanitarian landmine clearance in Afghanistan in 1988, HALO has been clearing explosive remnants of war and helping millions of families return home. http://halotrust.org .

Humanity and Inclusion (HI), Humanity and Inclusion (HI), formerly Handicap International, works with persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations in situations of conflict, natural disaster, exclusion, and extreme poverty. HI implements mine action programs, working to clear mines and UXO from civilian areas, providing risk education programs, and rendering assistance to those who have been injured. https://www.hi-us.org/ .

Information Management and Mine Action Programs (iMMAP) is an international nonprofit nongovernmental organization that provides targeted information management support to partners responding to complex humanitarian and development challenges. iMMAP’s expertise in data collection, analysis, and presentation supports the decision-making process for its diverse, multi-sector partners. http://immap.org .

ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF) is a humanitarian nonprofit organization established by the Republic of Slovenia government in March 1998. Since then, ITF has continued to expand its scope of activities and the geographic area of its implementation in order to reduce threats from mines, UXO, and at-risk weapons and ammunition. http://itf-fund.si .

MAG (Mines Advisory Group) began operations in Afghanistan in 1989 clearing mines and UXO. In association with its U.S. partner MAG America, UK-based MAG is a humanitarian organization working in countries affected by conflict and insecurity to clear mines and UXO, implement conventional weapons stockpile management and destruction programs, provide MRE, and offer capacity-building support. http://maginternational.org .

The Mine Action Support Group (MASG), established in 1998, is comprised of the world’s major humanitarian mine action donor states. It endeavors to coordinate and prioritize their respective programs and increase donor support for mine action where it is most needed. The MASG serves as a forum for the exchange of information as well as the coordination of financial support and resources. http://www.mineaction.org/funding/masg .

The Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA) is an Afghan nongovernmental organization founded in 1990 specializing in landmine impact and post-clearance surveys, technical and battle area surveys, polygon surveys, and mine- and UXO-impact free community surveys. MCPA provides manual, mechanical, and mine detection dog clearance, EOD, MRE, mine action training, and management information systems for mine action programs. hajiattqullah@gmail.com.

The Mine Detection Center (MDC) was established in 1989 with the goal to free Afghanistan of mine and UXO impact so individuals and communities can have a safe environment conducive to national development. MDC clears contaminated land and safely destroys mines and UXO using a variety of assets and techniques. http://mdc-afghan.org .

The Mine Detection Dog Center (MDDC) in Bosnia and Herzegovina trains dogs for landmine, explosives, narcotic detection, and search and rescue. It also trains dog handlers. More than 300 dogs for various purposes were trained at MDDC so far and deployed in dozens of countries. http://mddc.ba/new .

Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), founded in 1939 on the principles of solidarity, dignity, peace, and freedom, is one of Norway’s primary nongovernmental organizations. For more than 20 years NPA has implemented mine action programs in more than 40 states and territories. http://npaid.org .

The Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR) was established in 1990 to teach Afghan refugees and internally displaced Afghans about the dangers of mines and UXO. In 1992, OMAR expanded its operations to mine clearance, hiring and training more than 1,500 deminers in manual and mechanical demining, battle area clearance, EOD, and working with mine detection dogs. http://www.landmineclearance.org/ .

Spirit of Soccer (SOS), founded in 1996, is a UK and U.S.-registered nonprofit that uses soccer/football skills clinics and tournaments to educate children about the dangers posed by mines and UXO in conflict and post-conflict regions. SOS has created risk education courses in more than 10 current or post-conflict countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Iraq, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Laos, and Moldova. http://spiritofsoccer.org .

Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD), established in 1997, is an international nongovernmental organization based in Geneva that has implemented mine clearance projects in 29 countries. FSD focuses on locating and destroying mines and UXO on the ground and underwater. It also engages in collecting and destroying arms and ammunition and managing stockpiles. http://fsd.ch .

Government and International Organizations

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), NATO’s integrated logistics and services provider agency, implements the NATO PfPTF in Ukraine. NSPA has worked on PSSM and CWD programs in a number of countries including Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Mauritania, and Serbia. http://www.nspa.nato.int .

The Organization of American States (OAS) was established in 1948 with the goal of encouraging sustainable peace, justice, solidarity, collaboration, integrity, and independence among the nations of the Americas. The OAS supports a regional approach to demining programs in the Western Hemisphere and executes CWD programs. http://oas.org .

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world’s largest regional security organization with 57 participating states from Europe, Central Asia, and North America. The OSCE offers a forum for political dialogue and decision-making in the fields of early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation. http://osce.org .

Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA) established in June 2005, helps build the capacity of its 15 African member countries, and coordinates and monitors the implementation of the Nairobi Protocol signed in April 2004. Its mission is to coordinate action against SA/LW proliferation in the Great Lakes region, Horn of Africa, and bordering states. RECSA’s vision is a safe and secure sub-region in a peaceful continent, free from arms proliferation. http://recsasec.org .

Tajikistan National Mine Action Center (TNMAC) is a state institution under the government of the Republic of Tajikistan established in January 2014 to coordinate all mine action-related projects.muhabbat.ibrohimzoda@tnmac.gov.tj .

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP supports the host country’s own solutions to development challenges by developing national and local capacities. http://undp.org .

United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), established in 1997 by the General Assembly, is located in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions and is the coordinator for the Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action, which brings together working-level representatives of 11 UN organizations involved in mine action to develop or revise policies and strategies, set priorities among UN players, and share information. UNMAS sets up and manages mine action coordination centers in countries and territories as part of peacekeeping operations. http://www.mineaction.org/unmas .

United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), established in 1986 by the General Assembly, is headquartered in Lima, Peru, and specializes in disarmament and non-proliferation in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Academic Institutions

The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), established in 1996 at James Madison University (JMU), provides programs and information to post-conflict communities and practitioners in the CWD field. CISR works around the world to promote post-conflict recovery, rebuilding, and resilience. It also publishes the Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction. http://jmu.edu/cisr .

Small Arms Survey (SAS), based at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, serves as the principal international source of public information on all aspects of small arms and armed violence, providing a valuable resource for governments, policy-makers, researchers, and civil society. http://smallarmssurvey.org .

Contractors

Janus Global Operations (Janus) is an employee-owned munitions management and demining company supporting government, military, and commercial organizations operating in war-affected countries. Janus provides risk management, logistics, construction, and maintenance services in support of countries emerging from conflict. http://www.janusgo.com .

Tetra Tech EC, Inc. (TtEC) is a California-based company providing consulting, engineering, remediation, and construction services worldwide. TtEC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tetra Tech Inc., a publicly traded company. The company supports government and commercial clients by providing innovative solutions focused on water, environment, infrastructure, resource management, energy, and international development. http://www.tteci.com .

Conventional Weapons Destruction Funding

From 1993 through 2018, the United States contributed more than $3.4 billion for CWD programs in more than 100 countries. The United States remains the world’s leading donor for humanitarian mine action programs, including landmine clearance, survivor assistance services, and MRE. Many of our ongoing programs combine humanitarian demining, UXO removal, and SA/LW and ammunition destruction, and improve the safety and storage of conventional munitions stockpiles. This 18th edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety covers programmatic activities that occurred January 1 through December 31, 2018.

The following charts provide a consolidated view of the United States’ funding for CWD globally. Budget figures for fiscal year 2017 (October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2017) in this edition reflect actual allocations, while budget figures for fiscal year 2018 (October 1, 2017 – September 30, 2018) reflect, with a few exceptions, initial planned allocations. The 19th edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety will include updated figures for fiscal year 2018 that reflect the final allocations.

Legend for charts:

U.S. CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION PROGRAM FUNDING HISTORY

(Dollars in Thousands)