"From a back street in Manchester city centre, a small charity is busy making the world a safer place.” That was how the BBC described MAG at the start of 2008. Now, on the eve of the organisation’s 20th anniversary in 2009, it is a good moment to reflect on the remarkable growth MAG has gone through in the past year.
In January, MAG had programmes in 12 countries; now it is working in 15 countries throughout the world and has launched a new film to give the public a first impression of the harsh realities communties are facing and how these are being overcome.
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Conflict Recovery: a new MAG film [click above to watch] |
2008 highlights |
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January |
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• LAO PDR: First female driver |
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February |
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• VIETNAM: The Tet Offensive legacy |
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March |
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April |
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May |
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June |
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• LAO PDR: Safer scrap |
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July |
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• CAMBODIA: Hundreds helped in Malai |
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August |
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• LEBANON: Recovery in Smaaieh |
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September |
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• DR CONGO: Supporting Regeza |
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October |
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• MAG welcomes verdict in Khmer Rouge murder trial |
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November |
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• VIETNAM: Brother of mine accident survivor is top of the class |
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December |
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• Cluster munitions in Vietnam and Lao PDR: new era, old problem |
To facilitate this growing demand for MAG’s expertise, the organisation not only had to reorganise itself internally but also had to come up with continuous innovative approaches to the destruction of stockpiles, clearance of landmines, cluster munitions, unexploded ordnance and small arms and light weapons.
Early 2008 brought the 40th anniversary of the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. The use of teams that liaise with local communities, collect data, have technical expertise and are highly mobile is helping the country to move on from the legacy of the past – and look forward to a safer and more prosperous future, through the construction of schools and hospitals and the release of agricultural land.
Long-standing programmes, such as those in Cambodia, Iraq and Sudan, still see ongoing technical innovation and new project approaches.
Continued focus on staff training resulted in a member of MAG Lao staff becoming only the second woman in the country to pass a Team Leader training course run by UXO Lao, plus the female driver in the country. Meanwhile, Sudanese staff members reached a high level of international qualification in explosive ordnance disposal.
MAG continued to focus on expanding its small arms and light weapons programmes. We managed to destroy thousands of these weapons as well as their ammunition, and set up several programmes for safe storage and weapon management in various countries, such as Burundi and Republic of Congo, as well as the start up of our newest programme in Rwanda.
Early December saw the signing of the Oslo Treaty banning various kinds of cluster munitions.
Many countries have already signed up to it, stigmatising a weapon that continues to cause many horrors amongst civilians – as recently as in the 2006 Lebanon conflict and still causing victims in Lao PDR as a result of the ‘Secret War’ of 40 years ago.
Throughout this whole process it became clear that there is an increasing need for expertise to clear these remnants of conflict. This is an expertise that MAG continues to provide in numerous countries and national Mine Action Centres throughout the world.
All these are examples of the impact that targeted clearance has on almost all of the development objectives set by the international community in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Throughout 2008, MAG continued to expand its focus and to mainstream its activities by integrating them into emergency projects as well as longer-term development and reconstruction programmes.
The positive impact this has on the future of communities is increasingly being recognised by donors, the media and the general public in the UK and beyond.
Thanks to your generous support MAG has been able to continue to save lives and build futures throughout the year and we are looking forward to do so even more in 2009.
Lou McGrath OBE
Chief Executive, MAG
16 December 08
