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A MAG Iraq deminer conducting clearance in Kirkuk. |
MAG's primary goal in northern Iraq is supporting socio-economic development and the rehabilitation of communities who have been devastated by conflict.
Since beginning work in Iraq in 1992, MAG’s programme has grown significantly, improving life for hundreds more communities throughout the north of the country.
Assessments conducted by Community Liaison teams showed that more than four million square metres of land cleared and released during 2010 will be primarily used for farming wheat, barely and seasonal fruits, as well as grazing animals.
MAG’s Risk Education sessions, warning people of the dangers of mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and small arms and light weapons, reached tens of thousands of people in 2010.
As well as these activities, in 12 months MAG’s teams removed and destroyed more than 85,000 lethal landmines and items of UXO from northern Iraq.
Here are full details of MAG's lifesaving achievements in Iraq in 2010:
MAG Iraq: 1 January - 31 December 2010
Land released
• MAG teams released 4,294,139 m2 of land, through a combination of manual mechanical, Mine Detection Dog clearance and area reduction, completing clearance operations in 37 minefields and 28 Battle Area Clearance sites.
Conventional weapons
• 2,317 emergency Conventional Weapons Destruction tasks were carried out.
Landmines and unexploded ordnance
• 85,567 hazardous items were removed and destroyed, of which 7,676 were landmines and 77,891 were unexploded ordnance.
Risk Education
• 2,029 Mine Risk Education sessions, reaching 23,789 beneficiaries, were conducted by MAG Community Liaison teams and our two Iraqi partner non-governmental organisations; Al-Ghad and Work for Peace delivered MRE in areas of Diyala and Kirkuk governorates where the unstable security situation limited the deployment of MAG teams.
• 170 Small Arms and Light Weapons Risk Education sessions were given, targeting 15,060 individuals.
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Impact-driven work
In order to ensure MAG's work is impact-driven, our CL teams from the affected communities carry out a door-to-door assessment survey.
This survey captures quantitative and community-level socio-economic data on the impact of remnants of conflict, as well as the impact on wider conflict recovery and rehabilitation.
The data collected is used to prioritise clearance sites.
Methodology
In 2010, MAG deployed 17 Mine Action Teams, two Mechanical teams, three Mine Detection Dog (MDD) teams, four Conventional Weapons Destruction teams, two Mechanical Support teams, one MDD Support team and 11 CL teams, from our operational bases in Dohuk, Sulimaniyah and Chamchamal.
This integration of manual, mechanical and MDD assets enabled MAG Iraq to clear a high number of contaminated areas in a short period of time, through efficient and cost-effective clearance operations.
Partnership and coordination
MAG coordinated with the regional mine action authorities, represented by the Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency (IKMAA) overseeing mine action in Dohuk and Erbil governorates, and the General Directorate of Mine Action (GDMA) overseeing mine action in Sulimaniyah governorate.
In partnership with the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Planning, MAG continued delivering capacity building training sessions in risk education delivery to national partners, primary school teachers and community leaders.
MAG continued to support national partners' capacity building through the delivery of various training, covering Community Liaison, logistics, grant management, financial management and budgeting.
MAG thanks the following donors to the Iraq programme: Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, US Department of State; Act For Peace; Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Irish Aid; Marshall Legacy Institute; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the Netherlands; The US Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD); Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); Stichting Vluchteling; United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
20 May 2011
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