THE ALBANIA MINE ACTION PROGRAMME

1. THE ALBANIA MINE ACTION PROGRAMME “ALBANIA FREE FROM THE EFFECT OF MINES AND UXO BY 2005”

2. MINE CONTAMINATED AREAS • The threat emanates from the Kosovo conflict: • 120 km border • 57 identified areas • 15,250,000 m2 • The Threat: • AP and AT mines laid by fRY forces • UXO and sub-munitions, including NATO • No records of minefields available to Albania • None of this has been caused by Albania, AAF were requested by NATO not to get involved in the conflict

3. SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT • The population of the Kukes prefecture, almost 120,000 of which 75% are rural, are the poorest in Albania, if not in Europe • 39 villages directly affected • Average size of farms are 1.5 ha • Main activities are: grazing, farming, gathering firewood, and other subsistence livelihoods. • Land pressure is exacerbated by 75% mountainous terrain and mines • 27 people killed and 216 injured

4. SECURITY IMPACT A grave consequence of the mines is the added difficulty of patrolling the Albania/Kosovo border, where trafficking, and other crimes, take place on a cross-border basis: • 13 police officers have already been wounded or killed by mines and UXO in the execution of their duties. • Patrolling is almost impossible as it takes 1 to 2 hours to respond to a border incident due to mines and unexploded ordnance contamination. This is a weak point regarding integrated border management in SEE • The criminals have identified and cleared lanes through minefields, through which they pass unfettered to and from Kosovo, while police can not respond effectively

5. ALBANIAN RESPONSE • Surface clearance, which drastically reduced civilian casualties (no areas certified cleared to humanitarian standards though) • Level 1 Survey, total border area indicated to be contaminated – had to be redone employing impact survey methodology • Ratification of all relevant international treaties • Adoption of international humanitarian mine action standards • Establishment of a national humanitarian mine action structure: AMAC and AMAE • Advocacy for demining and funding by ICRC

6. POLICY, STRATEGY AND ADVOCACY – PROGRESS 2002 & PLANNING 2003 • Progress 2002: • National work shop June 2002, formulating vision, mission, priorities and 3-yr plan: • Vision - Albania free from mines and unexploded ordnance by 2010 • Mission - Develop and implement a sustainable mine action programme in order to eliminate the effect of mines and unexploded ordnance in North-east Albania by 2005 • Drafted MA Law • Stockpile Destruction Programme concluded, last APM of 1,683,860, was demilitarised on 4 April 2002 • Planning 2003: • Regularise activities of AMAC • Ratification of MA Law, MA plan and priorities • Formulation and ratification of comprehensive MA Policy • Pass legislation in terms of Ottawa Treaty Art 9 • Obligations ito Art 5 (1) to be achieved by 2010

7. CAPACITY BUILDING – PROGRESS 2002 • UNDP 2-year capacity building programme commenced April 2002, funded for 1 yr by UNDP and DFID • Assisted AMAC with policy, strategy, legal structure and priorities of MA • Facilitated National Mine Action Planning • Established regional office with EU and ITF assistance • Established fully functional AMAE, including an integral QM Section • Drafted AMAE Tech & Safety Standards • Resource mobilisation

8. CAPACITY BUILDING – PLANNING 2003 • Appointment of Swiss in-kind Ops Advisor, May 2003 • Evaluate and revise TSS’s • Optimise Ops/IMSMA integration • In-service training of QM Team • Assist AMAE with Impact Survey, Tech Survey, clearance and training standards • Assist with QC tasks • Capacity building of AAF for humanitarian demining • Management trg of AMAE staff, incl middle management trg, exchange and study tours • Assist with resource mobilisation

9. DEMINING – PROGRESS 2002 • DCA-ACT and FSD deployed for demining, mostly with EU, ITF and German funding. • ICRC and ARC assisted actively in creating an atmosphere conducive to demining. • Most impact surveys accurately redone and technical surveys initiated, by end of 2002, with internal resources. • With increased coordination and more efficient utilisation of demining assets, more than 7,000,000 m2 of formerly contaminated land released through survey and clearance during 2002.

10. DEMINING – PLANNING 2003 • 5 Manual Tech Survey Teams • 2 - 3 Mini Flails • 2 MDDT’s. • 8 manual demining teams. • Complete Impact Surveys – release further 1,990,000 m2 • Complete 86% of Technical Surveys – release further 1,496,000 m2 • Clear 350,000 m2, 61% completed

11. DEMINING PLANNING 2003-2005

12. IMSMA – PROGRESS 2002 & PLANNING 2003 • Progress 2002: • Fully functional IMSMA Cell and database established with ITF support • Database populated up to date • Albania maps georeferenced with EU and ITF support • Planning 2003: • Full integration of Ops/IMSMA • Appointment of IT Chief and database management training • Implement IMSMA TSS • Convert to IMSMA Vers 3 and Albanian format

13. MINE AWARENESS - PROGRESS 2002 AND PLANNING 2003 • Most communities reached, but people were still dying • Strategy revised in the fall of 2002 • Target groups readjusted: focus on economically active group 15-30 and remote villages • Raise awareness of MA problem nationally and internationally • Integrated structure: • AMAE – Coordination • UNICEF – Standards and funding • ICRC – Advocating and funding • ARC – Focal point and facilitating • VMA (LNGO) – Manage grassroots liaison • MCO’s – Limited implementation • AMC’s – Grassroots community liaison, implementation

14. VICTIM ASSISTANCE - PROGRESS • Tirana Orthopaedic Centre upgraded and operated by Government with EU and HI support • 10 Prostheses technicians trained with Italian and ITF support • 147 victims treated and prostheses fitted in Albania with ICRC assistance • 62 victims received advanced treatment and fitment of prostheses at Slovenian Rehabilitation Institute with ITF assistance • 12 victims assisted by ICRC to set up small enterprises • Several laws now afford the disabled special privileges • Monthly disability pension recently increased

15. VICTIM ASSISTANCE - PLANNING • Implement victim assistance strategy • Treatment of 30 Pri 1 and 3 sight impaired victims p/a abroad for 3 yrs • Provision of raw materials to Tirana Orthopedic Centre • Training of 3 doctors from NE Albania in advanced surgical procedures over 3 yrs • Improving surgical facilities in NE Albania • Training of 6 orthopedic technicians • Treatment of 50 Pri 2 victims in Albania p/a • Micro-finance to assist with reintegration of victims • Sustainable Albanian victim assistance capacity by 2005

16. TRANSITION STRATEGY • Government responsibility to be phased in by 2004-2005 • After 2005 – much reduced MA programme: • Leaner structure • Only low impact areas left to demine • Albanian capacity for demining and victim assistance fully established • Mine awareness objectives mostly reached • Solid resource mobilisation base established

17. FUNDING • Previous and current donors include UNDP, EU, DFID, ITF, Canadian, Danish, German, Swiss and US Governments. Total budget 2002 $ • EU adopted resolution to fund MA in Albania “as far as possible” from CARDS programme. • Of the $4,74m budget for 2003, $1.556m has already been funded, leaving a shortfall of $3.254m. • Albania received promising indications of further EU and ITF funding.

18. CONCLUSIONS • There is a significant mines and UXO threat in NE Albania • There is increased awareness and commitment to solve problem • 2002 was the turning point for the Albania MA program • 2003 is a crucial year for the program • The focus will be on: • Accurately determining the extent of the mines and UXO problem (TS) • Initiating the transition strategy • Albania can set the pace in the region on issues such as stockpile destruction • Albania can be rendered free from the effect of mines and UXO by 2005 with a reasonable budget.