SUMMARY OF THIS MONTH'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 Dahuk, Diyala, Erbil, Kirkuk, Ninewah, and Sulimaniyah governorates.

- MAG teams searched and cleared 497,633 square metres of land using hand, electronic, and visual techniques safely removing and destroying 2,486 hazardous items. Teams demarcated an additional 36,000 sq/m of land.

- Mine Risk Education (MRE) teams delivered 35 MRE sessions reaching 97,720 individuals.

- Community Liaison (CL) teams identified 176 dangerous areas. They conducted community assessments in 4 villages, interviewing 253 people

- 6 SALW emergency teams deployed to 113 tasks during March, destroying 1,919 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

- MAG operations continued without incident throughout the month of March.

- 15 technical, community liaison and operational support staff received training in GIS and GPS technologies to build on existing data collection practices, mapping capacity and information analysis in support of operational planning. Training was delivered by MAG's Community Assessment Advisor in Dahuk and Chamchamal sectors.

DEMINING & CLEARANCE OPERATIONS

- Soran sector: MATs searched and cleared 57,392 sq/m of contaminated land. Teams completed 1 task and continued to work on 7 tasks, destroying 2,046 hazardous items.

- Dahuk sector: MATs worked on 5 ongoing tasks and 4 new tasks. They searched and cleared 243,570 sq/m of contaminated land, removing and destroying 368 hazardous items support of socio-economic rehabilitation. Teams in this sector completed 3 tasks in March.

- Chamchamal and Sulimaniyah sectors: MATs searched and cleared 196,671 sq/m of contaminated land. Teams removed and destroyed 72 hazardous items. The MATs continued work on 8 tasks and started work on 4 new tasks. Teams completed clearance on 4 tasks.

SMALL ARMS LIGHT WEAPONS (SALW) EMERGENCY RESPONSE

- 3 dedicated CL teams deployed across Dahuk, Erbil and Sulimaniyah governorates to identify and prioritise instances of SALW contamination for removal and destruction.

- 6 SALW emergency teams deployed to 113 tasks during the month of March.

- Teams destroyed 1,919 items of SALW in March, with over 38,000 items now destroyed as part of the SALW project.

COMMUNITY LIAISON (CL)

- Teams identified 176 dangerous areas that pose a threat to resident communities and block socio-economic development.

- MAG CL teams conducted community assessments in 4 villages. 253 people were interviewed. MAG's community assessment process to enables better prioritisation and impact assessment

MINE RISK EDUCATION (MRE)

- MRE teams delivered 35 MRE sessions reaching 97,720 vulnerable individuals.

- MRE activities during the month included a radio campaign in Dahuk sector, which delivered the message to over 92,000 individuals, and the creation of MRE billboards in Soran sector

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)