SUMMARY OF JANUARY'S ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUTS

The programme continued to reduce risk to vulnerable communities and support conflict recovery and rehabilitation by implementing Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and Small Arms Light Weapons (SALW) projects in Dahok, Diyala, Erbil, Kirkuk, Ninewah and Sulimaniyah governorates

- MAG teams searched and cleared 15,898 square metres of land using hand, electronic, and visual techniques

- Mine Risk Education (MRE) teams delivered 12 MRE sessions reaching 2,928 individuals. MAG continued to monitor and support the delivery of MRE by 83 teachers to students and delivered 395 MRE booklets, 21 teachers' guides and 14 sets of MRE posters to schools

- Community Liaison (CL) teams identified 32 dangerous areas and three previously unreported battle areas. They conducted community assessments in five 5 villages, interviewing 204 people

- Six SALW emergency teams deployed 75 times and completed 23 tasks during January, destroying 205 items of SALW

SUMMARY OF IMPACT

- Creating a more secure environment for the Iraqi people by reducing risk to life and limb

- Building safer communities and working to improve the futures of people affected by explosive remnants of conflict

- Facilitating national reconstruction by freeing up land that can be used for livelihood generation and infrastructure projects

- Contributing to economic growth and stability by creating safer environments and communities and increasing economic independence for families working in farming and herding

- Facilitating repatriation by handing back cleared land that has previously been denied to its returning residents due to contamination by explosive remnants of conflict

- Contributing to the building of sustainable Iraqi Humanitarian Mine Action Capabilities in country

OPERATIONAL CONTEXT

- Operations resumed in mid-January after the annual winter holiday and technical refresher training

- Refresher training for medics also took place in January led by paramedics from Canada-based Global Medics. 34 MAG medics were trained in the most up-to-date trauma techniques at the Chamchamal operations base

- Administration and management staff throughout the programme received contract compliance and logistics training

DEMINING & CLEARANCE OPERATIONS

- Soran sector: MATs searched and cleared 7,645 square metres of contaminated land. Teams worked on five tasks and started clearance on one new task which will remove blockages to agricultural land. Operations will assist conflict recovery in returned refugee communities

- Dahok sector: MATs worked on three tasks along the Turkish and Iranian borders. They searched and cleared 4,491 sq/m of contaminated land in support of socio-economic rehabilitation in the region

- Chamchamal and Sulimaniyah sectors: MATs searched and cleared 3,762 sq/m of contaminated land. The MATs continued work on seven clearance tasks and started clearance on 1new task which will restore access to water for the local population

SMALL ARMS LIGHT WEAPONS (SALW) EMERGENCY RESPONSE

- Three dedicated Community Liaison teams deployed across Dahok, Erbil and Sulimaniyah governorates to identify and prioritise instances of SALW contamination for removal and destruction

- CL teams located a large stockpile of unguarded and accessible SALW in Sulimaniyah governorate. Destruction of items was attended in early February by Jess Baily, a senior US State Department official

- Six SALW emergency teams deployed 75 times and completed 23 tasks during January

- Teams destroyed 205 items of SALW in January, with over 35,000 items now destroyed as part of the SALW project

COMMUNITY LIAISON (CL)

- MAG Iraq CL teams started deployment to support communities affected by shelling and air strikes along the Turkish-Iraqi border

- Overall, MAG CL teams conducted three community assessments in five villages in Dahok and Erbil governorates. 204 people were interviewed. MAG's community assessment process to enables better prioritisation and impact assessment

- Teams identified 32 dangerous areas and three previously unreported battle areas that pose a threat to resident communities and block socio-economic development

- MAG worked with the Iraqi Red Cross to develop a plan to deliver MRE materials to communities located in Kirkuk governorate

MINE RISK EDUCATION (MRE)

- MRE teams delivered 12 MRE sessions reaching 2,928 vulnerable individuals in Dahok, Erbil and Sulimaniyah governorates

- MAG continued to monitor and support the delivery of MRE by 83 teachers to students and delivered 395 MRE booklets, 21 teachers' guides and 14 sets of MRE posters to schools

- MAG worked with a local partner to support MRE delivery to highly vulnerable populations in the central and southern regions of Iraq

DONORS

MAG would like to express gratitude to the following donors to the Iraq programme:

- Belgian Government - Irish Aid - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the Netherlands - Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, US Department of State - SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency)

MAG is the largest NGO employer in northern Iraq and is currently sourcing funding for 2008 and beyond. If the programme cannot maintain funding, it will have to reduce current capacity.