Danish demining group

Danish Demining Group (DDG) is a Humanitarian Mine Action Unit in the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), specialised in clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance and in reducing armed violence.

DDG’s mission is to recreate a safe environment where people can live without the threat of landmines, unexploded ordnances and small arms and light weapons.^[1] DDG operates with three strategic objectives that define the fundamental and specific aims of operations:

• Enhance Human Security by clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance, reduce the threat from small arms & light weapons and by providing risk education and raising awareness
• Provide impact oriented, cost effective and innovative solutions in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders^{[clarification needed]}
• Support local structures and institutions with finding sustainable solutions to residual problems and in a manner that enables economic and social development.^{[clarification needed]}

DDG works to enable post-conflict communities to (re-)gain access to their assets an support the efforts of governments, relief- and development organisation to enable recovery and community transition into social and economic development.^[2]

DDG currently operates with mine clearance and explosive ordnance disposal in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, and Somalia, and with armed violence reduction in Sudan, Uganda, and Somalia. In 2010 DDG also opened new offices in Zimbabwe, Vietnam and Yemen, and in Liberia DDG was involved in the development of a new legislation on small arms and light weapons in cooperation with local authorities.

DDG and mine action

DDGs Mine Action operations are based on the Ottawa Convention’s Five Pillars of Mine Action, namely:

• Mine and UXO Clearance
• Mine Risk Education
• Victim assistance
• Advocacy
• Stockpile destruction

In addition, DDG educate, advice, destroy and/or ensure correct storage of small arms and light weapons. All work is executed to highest technical standards, security considerations and in due respect for community prioritization. DDG operations are accredited according to International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and where available, to National Technical Standards (NTSG).^[3] DDG employs a wide range of approaches to release safe land, including manual and mechanical demining. An example of DDG approaches is the Village-by-Village Clearance that integrates community liaison, education and clearance and is successfully implemented in several countries where the organisation works.

As part of DDG’s mission to ensure that mine action efficiency results in impact effectiveness DDG has developed an impact monitoring manual for mine action which is available for all interested.

DDG and armed violence reduction (AVR)

DDG’s AVR operations are based on the Armed Violence Lens^[4] developed by OECD. The lens captures all the elements and levels that shape armed violence patterns:

• The people that are affected by armed violence – both the first-order victims and the wider communities and societies that also suffer consequences.
• The perpetrators of armed violence (and their motives for armed violence).
• The instruments of armed violence (with a focus on their availability and/or supply).
• The wider institutional/cultural environment (both formal and informal) that enables, or protects against, armed violence.

DDG addresses these elements on local through a community safety approach and on a national level through support to and capacity building of relevant institutions.

In line with the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, DDG and DRC have a joint strategy for stabilization of fragile areas through community-driven safety and socio-economic recovery.

References

1. ^ http://www.danishdemininggroup.dk/about-danish-demining-group/the-organisation/
2. ^ http://www.drc.dk/dk/relief-work/danish-demining-group
3. ^ http://www.danishdemininggroup.dk/about-danish-demining-group/our-operations/
4. ^ OECD Armed Violence Lens: http://aoav.org.uk/docs/OECD-Armed-Violence-Reduction.pdf

External links

• Danish Demining Groups website
• Danish Refugee Councils website