(C) U.S. State Dept This story was originally published by U.S. State Dept and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . To Walk the Earth in Safety (2023) [1] [] Date: 2023-04 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, Catholic Relief Services has worked to reduce the risk of injury or death from unexploded ordnance in Vietnam and trained children, teachers, parents, and community members in explosive ordnance risk education. Development Alternatives Inc. is a U.S. based nongovernmental organization that works with national and local governments, bilateral and multilateral donors, private corporations, and philanthropies around the world to address fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. The Golden West Humanitarian Foundation (GWHF) is a United States-based nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to innovation in training and technology, and overcoming limitations in humanitarian mine action operations. Golden West provides expert explosive ordnance disposal and physical security and stockpile management consulting, International Mine Action Standards and International Ammunition Technical Guidelines compliant training, and technology making humanitarian mine action safer, faster, and more cost effective. The Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) is a Virginia-based nonprofit organization founded to help restore hope, alleviate suffering, and nurture stability in war-torn countries. Marshall Legacy Institute has established indigenous programs in 15 mine-affected countries that help rid them of landmines and their lasting impact. Momentum for Humanity (formerly United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles/Wheels for Humanity) is a California nonprofit founded in 2007 that helps people with mobility impairments maximize their independence and quality of life by building and strengthening rehabilitation services, including assistive technologies. 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 unexploded ordnance clearance, explosive ordnance risk education, survivor assistance, scholarships to landmine survivors and their families, and community restoration projects. The Polus Center for Social & Economic Development , established in 1979, is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit nongovernmental. The organization partners with public and private foundations to address the impact of mines and unexploded ordnance on communities around the world. 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 non-formal education across a wide array of sectors. World Education has worked to support survivor assistance, explosive ordnance risk education, and disability inclusion. International and Foreign Nongovernmental Organizations Accessibility Organization for Afghan Disabled is a nonprofit and nonpolitical nongovernmental organization working for persons with disabilities along with their immediate family members as a peer-support, advocate organization founded in 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghan Technical Consultants , established in 1989, was the first humanitarian demining nongovernmental organization in Afghanistan endorsed by the United Nations. Afghan Technical Consultants work to reduce civilian casualties and enable land release through detection, clearance, and explosive ordnance risk education. Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy Conservation in Afghanistan (AREA) is a non-governmental, non-political, non-profit developmental organization that envisions the achievement of peace and stability in Afghanistan through empowering communities at the grassroots level. APOPO , established in 1995, is a registered Belgian nongovernmental organization and U.S. non-profit that trains sub-Saharan African pouched rats and mine detection dogs to help detect landmines, returning safe land back to communities for development so they can proceed with their lives. Arcangeles Foundation is a nonprofit working to improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations in Colombia. Its main objective is to achieve social inclusion and to ensure for future generations an inclusive and sustainable world. The Colombian Campaign Against Landmines 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 explosive ordnance risk education. DanChurchAid (DCA) is an independent ecumenical humanitarian organization based in Copenhagen, Denmark, that provides humanitarian assistance and mine action programs combining explosive ordnance risk education, mine clearance, and community-development activities. Delvon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH) is a Sri Lankan humanitarian demining organization founded in 2010 to increase the safety and security of people living in mine-affected areas through the removal and destruction of mines and unexploded ordnance. To support sustainable post-conflict recovery, the organization strives to employ displaced persons, especially widows and female heads of households. The Demining Agency for Afghanistan (DAFA) , formed in 1990, is an Afghan humanitarian mine clearance organization. The organization’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. Free Fields Foundation is a neutral, nonprofit, humanitarian mine action organization founded in 2012 and based in Tripoli, Libya. Free Fields Foundation is accredited by the Libyan Mine Action Centre to conduct explosive ordnance risk education, non-technical survey, explosive ordnance disposal and battle area clearance. The HALO Trust (HALO) is the world’s largest humanitarian landmine removal organization. Its mission is to protect lives and restore livelihoods for those affected by conflict. HALO employs more than 8,600 staff and operates in over 25 countries and territories. HALO’s work, clearing landmines and other debris of war, creates safe and secure environments in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding (HDP) , formerly Danish Demining Group, is a humanitarian mine action and armed violence reduction unit within the Danish Refugee Council, a non-profit and nongovernmental organization working to protect and provide long-lasting solutions to communities affected by war and armed conflict. Humanity & Inclusion works with persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations in situations of conflict, natural disaster, exclusion, and extreme poverty. The organization implements mine action programs, working to clear mines and unexploded ordnance from civilian areas, providing explosive ordnance risk education programs, and rendering assistance to those who have been injured. 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. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a coalition of NGOs whose stated objective is a world free of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions, where mine and cluster munitions survivors see their rights respected and can lead fulfilling lives. ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF) is a humanitarian nonprofit organization established by the Republic of Slovenia Government in March 1998. ITF focuses on humanitarian mine action, conventional weapons destruction, and other forms of post-conflict assistance and continues to expand its thematic and geographic scope of activities globally. Mines Advisory Group (MAG) began operations in Afghanistan in 1989. In association with its U.S. partner MAG America, UK-based Mines Advisory Group is a humanitarian organization working in countries affected by conflict and insecurity to clear mines and unexploded ordnance, implement conventional weapons stockpile management and destruction programs, provide explosive ordnance risk education, and offer capacity-building support. The Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA) is an Afghan nongovernmental organization founded in 1990 specializing in landmine impact and post-clearance surveys, technical survey and battle area clearance, polygon surveys, and mine- and unexploded ordnance-impact free community surveys. The agency provides manual, mechanical, and mine detection dog clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, explosive ordnance risk education, mine action training, and management information systems for mine action programs. The Mine Detection Center (MDC) was established in 1989 with the goal to free Afghanistan from the impacts of mines and unexploded ordnance so that individuals and communities can live in a safe environment conducive to national development. The center clears contaminated land and safely destroys mines and unexploded ordnance using a variety of assets and techniques. The Mine Detection Dog Center (MDDC) in Bosnia and Herzegovina trains dogs to detect landmines, explosives, narcotics, and to conduct search and rescue operations, and trains dog handlers and trainers. Currently dogs work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Angola, Turkey, and other Southeast European countries. The center is also involved in humanitarian demining, explosive ordnance risk education and mine survivor assistance. Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) , a Norwegian nongovernmental organization, was founded in 1939 on the principles of solidarity, dignity, peace, and freedom. For more than 20 years, the organization has implemented mine action programs in more than 40 countries and territories. 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 unexploded ordnance. In 1992, the organization expanded its operations to mine clearance, hiring and training more than 1,500 deminers in manual and mechanical demining, battle area clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, and working with mine detection dogs. Results for Development (R4D) is a global nonprofit founded in 2008 that supports local change agents—government officials, civil society leaders, and social innovators—to drive reforms and engage in continuous improvement. Skavita Humanitarian Assistance and Relief Project (SHARP) (skavita.sl@gmail.com) is a Sri Lankan nongovernmental organization based in Colombo that conducts humanitarian demining activities. 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 unexploded ordnance in conflict and post-conflict regions. Spirit of Soccer has created explosive ordnance risk education courses in post-conflict countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Iraq, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Moldova. The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) was established in 1997 and has worked in over 30 countries worldwide for the last 23 years. The overall objective of the foundation is to clear contaminated land of explosive contamination and to promote mine action in general; the foundation aims to mitigate the social, economic, and environmental impacts of landmines and environmental contamination worldwide. Government and International Organizations The International Committee of the Red Cross’s (ICRC) Physical Rehabilitation Program (PRP), formerly the ICRC MoveAbility Foundation was established in 1983 under the International Committee of the Red Cross and aims to improve physical rehabilitation capacities in low- and middle-income countries by maintaining and increasing access to quality and sustainable services. International Organization for Migration (IOM) , founded in 1951, helps ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, and provides humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, be they refugees, displaced persons, or other uprooted people. NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) , NATO’s integrated logistics and services provider, implements U.S. funded CWD programs in Bulgaria and Slovakia. NSPA also implemented the NATO Partnership for Peace Trust Fund in Ukraine which closed this year in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion,. NSPA has also worked on physical security and stockpile management and conventional weapons destruction programs in several countries including Albania, Azerbaijan,Jordan, Mauritania, and Serbia. 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 organization supports a regional approach to demining programs in the Western Hemisphere and executes conventional weapons destruction programs. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world’s largest regional security organization with 57 participating states in Europe, Central Asia, and North America. The organization offers a forum for political dialogue and decision-making in the fields of early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation. The Regional Centre on Small Arms in the Great Lakes Region, Horn of Africa, and Bordering States (RECSA) , established in 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 small arms and light weapons 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. The Tajikistan National Mine Action Center (TNMAC) (muhabbat.ibrohimzoda@tnmac.gov.tj) is a state institution under the government of the Republic of Tajikistan established in January 2014 to coordinate all mine action-related projects. The United Nations Development Program/Southeastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNDP/SEESAC) works to strengthen the capacities of national and regional stakeholders to control and reduce the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons, advance gender equality, facilitate regional cooperation and thus contribute to enhanced stability, security, and development. The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) , established in 1997 by the UN General Assembly, is housed in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions. It is the coordinator for the Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action, which brings together working-level representatives of 12 UN mine action organizations to set priorities among UN participants and share information, and sets up and manages mine action coordination centers as part of peacekeeping operations. United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament, and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) is the UN regional entity specialized in disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Its main function is to assist States to implement international instruments and commitments in these fields. United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) , established in 1973, helps advance sustainable implementation practices in development, humanitarian, and peacebuilding contexts in some of the world’s most challenging environments. Support is concentrated in areas where it has a clear mandate and expertise: infrastructure, procurement, project management, human resources, and financial management services. The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The organization’s broad mandate includes advocating for universal healthcare, monitoring public health risks, coordinating responses to health emergencies, and promoting human health and well-being. Academic Institutions The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) , was established at James Madison University in 1996. Through its publications, training courses, fellowships, and web tools, the center supports information exchange within the humanitarian mine action and conventional weapons destruction communities. CISR produces To Walk the Earth in Safety, and publishes The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, which was first published in 1997 and is the longest-running source of information on conventional weapons destruction in the world. The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) , formed in 1998, supports the ongoing improvement of mine action performance. The Centre enables national authorities, mine action organizations, and other partners to do their jobs better by furthering knowledge, promoting norms and standards, and developing capacity. Johns Hopkins University-Bloomberg School of Public Health , based in Baltimore and founded in 1916, works with communities and populations to identify the causes of disease and disability, and implement large-scale solutions. 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, policymakers, researchers, and civil society. Contractor Tetra Tech is a leading provider of consulting and engineering services for projects worldwide. With 20,000 associates working together, Tetra Tech delivers clear solutions to complex problems in water, environment, infrastructure, resource management, energy, international development, and munitions response. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.state.gov/reports/to-walk-the-earth-in-safety-2023/ Published and (C) by U.S. State Dept Content appears here under this condition or license: Public Domain. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/usstate/