spear guidelines for idps

UNDP Sri Lanka Support to Mine Action Programme in Sri Lanka Project Impact and Performance Assessment, June 2006

DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION 2/51

Table of Contents

Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................................. 3

I. Executive Summary and Recommendations ............................................................. 4 I.I Findings and Recommendations ........................................................................................... 5

I.II Background and Rationale for the Evaluation .................................................................... 7

1. Project Design............................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Support Project............................................................................................................... 7

1.2 Assumptions ................................................................................................................... 9

1.3 Compatibility of Objectives ......................................................................................... 11

1.4 Lack of Strategic and Risk Management Plan ............................................................. 13

2. Project Implementation ............................................................................................. 15 2.1 Cooperation and Coordination ..................................................................................... 15

2.2 Quality and Appropriateness of Structures .................................................................. 15

2.3 Capacity Building ........................................................................................................ 16

3. Sustainability .............................................................................................................. 22

4. Revised Project Strategy ........................................................................................... 25

5. Analysis for UNDP Project Involvement until 2008 ............................................... 26 5.1 SWOT Analysis ........................................................................................................... 26

5.2 Analysis of Technical Assistance ................................................................................ 27

6. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 30

7. Appendices ...................................................................................................................... 31 A. Evaluation Methodology ..................................................................................................... 31

B. Interviews and Meetings ..................................................................................................... 32

C. Documents ........................................................................................................................... 34

D. Field Visits .......................................................................................................................... 37

E. Revised Results Framework ................................................................................................ 43

F. Revised Logframes .............................................................................................................. 44

G. Terms of Reference ............................................................................................................. 47



Acronyms and Abbreviations

AMAO Area Mine Action Office

DDG Danish Demining Group

DEX Direct Execution by the UNDP of a project

DMAO District Mine Action Office

EC European Commission

EOD Explosive Ordnance Division

FSD Swiss Foundation for Mine Action

GoSL Government of Sri Lanka

GA Government Agent

HDU Humanitarian Demining Unit

HSZ High Security Zone, area closed by Army for use

IDP Internally Displaced Person

IMSMA Information Management System for Mine Action

LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

MAG Mines Advisory Group

MAP Mine Action Project, of the UNDP

MMIPE Melinda Maragoda Institute for People‟s Empowerment

MRE Mine Risk Education

NEX National Execution of a UNDP project

NBD Nation Building and Development Ministry

NGO Non-Government Organization

NMAO National Mine Action Office

NPA Norwegian People‟s Aid

NSCMA National Steering Committee on Mine Action

PCIS Post-Clearance Impact Survey

QA Quality Assurance monitoring process

RMAO Regional Mine Action Office

RONCO American commercial demining company, training SLA members

SLA Sri Lankan Army

SLNSMA Sri Lanka National Standards for Mine Action

TA Technical Adviser

TIA Task Impact Assessment

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNICEF United Nations Children‟s Emergency Find

UXO Unexploded Ordnance



I. Executive Summary and Recommendations

After more than two decades of conflict, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) signed a ceasefire agreement in 2002 which led to

hope of peace, stability, reconstruction and development. Humanitarian demining plays a

critical role in the first phase of the rehabilitation effort, as donors and development agencies

require a certificate of clearance before agreeing to commence work on sectoral projects.

Just as the laying of mines forewarns of conflict, demining can be the confirmation of a peace

process that will enable all sides in the conflict to create an equitable future. The UNDP

initiated this Project in support of the Government‟s Programme for Mine Action, in the hope

that it would return to productive use land currently suspected as contaminated by mines and

UXO, and further the overall development aims of Sri Lanka.

As this evaluation took place, the ceasefire agreement faced numerous violations which

raised the spectre of a return to renewed conflict. Demining activities were sporadically

disrupted in the North and East due to strike days and random attacks which led development

agencies to reassess their field presence. As some demining sites border high security zones,

ongoing clearance depends upon stability in the area.

Moreover, donors are concerned that increased conflict both between the Sri Lankan Army

(SLA) and the LTTE and amongst Tamil factions could lead to further laying of mines along

the defensive lines that divide these groups. Reports of the laying of new mines could not be

confirmed during our visit. Should that occur it is likely that international assistance for mine

clearance would cease, as it did during other phases of renewed conflict.1

Nonetheless, we gathered evidence of the value of UNDP‟s capacity building project and

identified ways in which it could continue to develop national and local capacity in a revised

format. As the Government Programme has extended until 2008 its target for creating a North

and East free from the effect of mines, UNDP could also continue its activities until then.

Indeed, it has undertaken to oversee a Technical Survey that will extend its current

commitment until the end of 2006 for at least a year.

However, as the primary aim of this support project was to build the capacity of the Ministry

of Nation Building and Development through a National Steering Committee on Mine Action

(NSCMA) and a National Mine Action Office (NMAO) to plan and manage mine clearance

activities and provide standards and controls for doing so, much remains to be done. In

particular, UNDP technical assistance has been focused in the North. The same support

services need to be developed in the East and within a Mine Action Office in the Ministry.

To develop a comprehensive approach, a joint view needs to be developed with the Ministry

regarding the authority and required expertise of the UNDP Technical Advisers.

In addition, the absence of a strategic plan that defines a precise and shared vision of how the

Programme will continue the monitoring activities of the Project when it finishes means that

even the UNDP Country Office is unsure of how roles are responsibilities should be

delineated.

If UNDP is to continue providing capacity building support to the Mine Action Programme,

it must have a more consistent and productive operating environment with the Ministry and a

strategic plan, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities between NSCMA, an established

National Mine Action Office, the UNDP Mine Action Project (MAP), and the UNDP

Country Office. This is the only way for the Project to create a sustainable level of mine

action capacity throughout all of the affected regions.

1 During those times, demining was continued by the SLA and HDU.



I.I Findings and Recommendations

Roles and responsibilities

The UNDP has succeeded in establishing this technical support project for capacity building

of the Mine Action Programme of the Ministry of Nation Building and Development, and in

supporting the establishment of NSCMA and National Standards. Its original scope foresaw

providing technical support to develop mine clearance capacity throughout the mine-affected

areas of the North and East. Due to different views on the scope of the capacity building role

of the UNDP and its Technical Advisers there currently is little Project field presence in east

of Vavuniya.

According to the National Standards for Mine Action in Sri Lanka, the Government should

have its own National Mine Action Office. The UNDP assisted in this role in the absence of a

National office. But as the UNDP prepares to finish its capacity building work and phase out

the Mine Action Project, the Government needs to set up and staff its own National MAO,

within the Ministry and coordinating with NSCMA in order to continue oversight and

coordination of mine clearance activities.

This is a DEX project and donors of the UNDP MAP insisted they would not fund these

activities directly through the Ministry. Donors have reiterated that they support funding

through the UNDP project because it assures neutrality in execution in a conflict region and

better access to all parties in the field. Furthermore, the UNDP‟s monitoring and reporting

process meets their needs. We foresee this project remaining DEX until it ceases, at which

point the Ministry and NSCMA would take on decision-making for all of the mine action

field offices.

Given the revised final target date of the National Mine Action Strategy, UNDP technical

support through this Project will not extend beyond 2008, and so the UNDP would like to

assure that the successes of the Mine Action office in Jaffna can be duplicated in offices in

Kilinochchi, Vavuniya and Trincomalee. It is only through this uniform coverage that the

Project has the chance of creating sustainable capacity for regional Mine Action offices. The

UNDP Chief Technical Adviser to the Project, in consultation with the Government, should

be authorized to set up and staff field offices in an adequate manner, with capacity building

activities and staff training within his purview.

To streamline day to day operations of Project activities, the UNDP Country Office, Project

Office, the Secretary and Adviser to NSCMA and the new director of the National Mine

Action Office should itemize and agree to the role and authority given to the Chief Technical

Adviser of the UNDP Project, which is under DEX execution. This Memorandum of

Agreement should spell in detail what each party undertakes to do and how the parties will

resolve future differences over activities. While it is important for the NSCMA to provide

general direction to the Project as a support mechanism to Sri Lanka‟s National Mine Action

Programme, the day to day management of operations should be left to UNDP, so that it

fulfills its obligations. Donors want to be sure that UNDP is unhindered in executing the

projects they have funded.

Strategic planning and staffing

Not only does UNDP need a strategic plan for this Project, outlining the details and

processes of its last two years of support, the Ministry also needs one, so that NSCMA

and the National Mine Action Office can take over the activities of the Mine Action

Project, and assure ongoing quality assurance monitoring and database management. The

main issue to be planned is the transfer of skills and competencies from the UNDP

Project to a national Mine Action Office. The Ministry may then want to draft a strategic



plan of what demining needs remain (after the Technical Survey clarifies the issue) and

what resources are necessary to accomplish that task.

The success of the UNDP Support Project rests with the technical advisers (TA) it has provided and their ability to monitor the needs of mine clearance projects in the field. In

addition, the UN affiliation enables international TAs to provide a critical protection role

for local staff and international demining agencies as they work in a conflict region and

cross defensive lines.

The TAs have developed district mine action offices (DMAO) and trained local staff in

quality assurance (QA) methodology, the accreditation process, monitoring of Mine Risk

Education (MRE), conducting Post-Clearance Impact Surveys (PCIS), and setting up the

IMSMA database. Loss of qualified personnel with extensive knowledge of the project

and the field would undermine UNDP‟s ability to fulfill its project aims by 2008

As this project depends on the technical knowledge and experience developed in its field staff, expansion of staff in order to provide thorough coverage in the North and East and

retention of current staff should be the first consideration as the UNDP extends its

Project. Local staff should be given contracts of at least one year in order to offer them

some basic job security and prevent high staff turnover and the loss of institutional

knowledge.

Should UNDP extend this Project for two more years, a strategic plan must consider what additional local staff should be recruited and trained now in order to leave behind

sustainable mine action QA and monitoring units to cover the North and East. Current

staffing is at a minimum level. In addition, the NMAO may ask UNDP to assist in

training their new staff. The Colombo office needs increased staffing to coordinate the

last main tasks of the Project: drafting a strategic plan, overseeing the Technical Survey,

and preparing to handover responsibilities to a National Mine Action office.

Mine Action Services

The Mine Action Project Services of quality assurance, post-clearance impact surveys and accreditation need to be refined to assure maximum utility. Mine clearance agencies

that fail the accreditation process should be suspended from mine clearance until they

pass. The review/appeals process should be formalized. MRE could go through the

accreditation process, even if informally.

The IMSMA reporting system could be maintained after the UNDP Project finishes,

perhaps in the Survey Department, should the Ministry of NBD not be in a position to

house the database. The Ministry now has its own reporting system, which has inherent

inconsistencies according to NGOs who are represented in the statistics. The Ministry is

not using IMSMA in part due to the complexity of extracting information by untrained

users. The UNDP Mine Action Project needs to review the options and include the

IMSMA database in its strategic plan for handing over the project. However, to enhance

the effectiveness of ongoing capacity building in Mine Action coordination in Sri Lanka,

a single, definitive data pool should be the source of mine action information in the

country.

Mine Risk Education and Victim Assistance programmes are coordinated through UNICEF. Quality assurance monitoring indicated some gaps in these programmes.

Coordination should be made with UNICEF to assess current needs and review how the

community will sustain these activities.

Landmine Ban Advocacy in support of the Government of Sri Lanka signing the Ottawa Convention and the LTTE signing the Geneva Call Deed of Commitment remains a goal



of this Mine Action Project. Donors did indicate a reluctance to contribute more funding

for mine clearance in Sri Lanka until these documents are signed, which may limit

resources available for continued UNDP involvement.

I.II Background and Rationale for the Evaluation

In an effort to support post-conflict reconstruction UNDP in 2002 undertook to support the

Ministry of Nation Building and Development‟s Mine Action Programme,2 promoting a safer

environment for the people of the conflict affected areas; the revitalization of land for IDP

resettlement; and to increase economic development that would provide sustainable

livelihoods. This was to be achieved through the establishment of national capacity to plan,

manage, coordinate and execute mine action and related activities, and thus contribute to a

positive mine action environment in Sri Lanka.

UN Mine Action comprises five complementary groups of activities: Mine Risk Education,

Humanitarian Mine Clearance, Survivor Assistance, Stockpile Destruction and Advocacy.

Within the UN system, the UNDP assumed the responsibility for addressing the

socioeconomic consequences of landmines, developing countries‟ institutional capacities and

supporting integrated and sustainable programmes for mine action. The UNDP approaches

the landmine problem from a long-term development perspective and creates conditions for a

return to normal economic activity, reconstruction and development.

The UNDP Support to Mine Action in Sri Lanka project‟s primary purpose is to assist the

country to develop the capacities and skills required to manage its mine action programme

with minimal external support, and to ensure a high standard through quality control.

As the 2006 project phase nears it close, the UNDP seeks to assess its impact on the national

Programme and whether it had met its objectives. As a result of this evaluation, UNDP will

decide whether its continued partnership with the Ministry of Nation Building and

Development (NBD) in demining is productive, and identify where it needs revision in order

to meet the Ministry‟s revised target date of 2008 for a country free of the effects of mines.

1. Project Design

1.1 Support Project

The “Support to Mine Action Programme” (MAP) is a directly executed (DEX) project of

UNDP that was initiated in 2002 but began in its current form in August 2003. The Project

was designed as a coordination mechanism to directly support the National Mine Action

Programme in Sri Lanka under the leadership of the National Steering Committee for Mine

Action (NSCMA), and to set up support in the field for mine clearance. It was intended to

contribute to increased livelihood opportunities in affected communities and aimed to support

significant progress towards Sri Lanka‟s stated goal of making the country free from the

effect of mines and UXO by the end of 2006.

2 Then called the Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction



According to the foundation document3, results would be achieved through the following

activities:

Capacity building. Strengthen the national capacity to plan, manage and execute humanitarian mine action activities.

Support to mine action operations. Provide support to mine action implementing agencies

to conduct mine action activities.

Support to resource mobilization and advocacy. Continue and improve a partnership and resource mobilization strategy to support coordination of the implementation of the Sri

Lankan Mine Action Programme and for mine action operations.

The main primary results to be achieved by the UNDP Mine Action Project were:

1) To further strengthen and develop management and technical capacity of Sri Lanka

through the established National Steering Committee for Mine Action to coordinate mine

action activities

2) To improve the safety of the mine affected communities by reducing the landmine threat

through supporting the implementation of an integrated programme including the use of

Quality Management practices

3) To meet the needs of the mine and UXO incident survivors and to develop strategies for

their socio-economic reintegration

The project aimed to build the capacity of the Ministry and of district offices in several

aspects. The first was to have a central coordinating body, NSCMA, which would oversee the

policy and coordination of all activities related to mine action and track the tasking and

clearance activities of each demining agency in the field. The UNDP field offices would then

deal with developing the local skills to monitor demining activities and assure that agencies

were operating according to the national standards and that documentation of their work was

entered into the national database.

In fact, the UNDP Mine Action Office has carried out some functions of the National Mine

Action Office (MAOSL). The National Mine Action Standards explain the division of

responsibilities:

“The NSCMA is responsible for ensuring the conditions which enable the effective

management of national mine action projects. The NSCMA is ultimately responsible for

policy oversight and coordination, advice and direction on operation including National Sri

Lankan Mine Action Standards, Quality Assurance, Mine Risk Education and Victims

assistance

The NSCMA is responsible for establishing and maintaining national standards, regulations

and procedures for the management of mine action operations. These national standards,

regulations and procedures are consistent with IMAS, and other relevant national and

international standards, regulations and requirements.

In certain situations and at certain times it may be necessary and appropriate for the United

Nations, or some other recognised international body, to assume some of the responsibilities,

on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka and to fulfil some of the functions of the national

mine action office.

3 See Annex Documents



The AMAO will continue to provide operational coordination such as establishing priorities,

tasking, quality assurance and information management. Until the MAOSL is established,

many of the functions traditionally performed by a ‘national mine action centre’ will be

undertaken by the NSCMA acting on recommendations made by the Technical Working

Group (Chaired by the secretary of the NSCMA) which, in turn, receives recommendations

from a Field Working Group comprising of mine action operators and facilitated by

UNDP. At the request of the Government, some functions currently are performed by

UNDP in support of NSCMA and AMAO.” (Emphasis and italics added)

The text continues by outlining the role of the national Mine Action Office, which the UNDP

Project office currently supports:

“The MAOSL, once established, will be responsible for;

a) Policy implementation

b) the co-ordination or planning of all mine action activities in their area of responsibility;

c) the provision of technical advice to the NSCMA;

d) the maintenance of mine action records and databases;

e) (if delegated by the NSCMA), the accreditation and licensing of mine action

organizations;

f) the investigation of mine action related accidents and incidents; and

g) Monitoring, evaluation and training recommendations.”

Thus, the above activities of MAO-SL fall within the domain of the UNDP Project. Although

the Ministry has provided leadership and guidance, nominal efforts have been made to

transfer some of these capacities, such as the IMSMA database, to the Ministry. It is now the

time for the Ministry to set up its own Mine Action office so that the handover process from

UNDP can begin.

Overall, the activities of the UNDP seem well targeted in achieving the objectives of a

capacity building support project to the national mine clearance Programme. It has achieved

its aims to a remarkable degree, but still needs to focus on more uniform regional coverage,

and the sustainability of capacity building of staff and quality assurance processes.

While future staffing needs will depend on the pace of demining activity, the current work

plans for Jaffna, Kilinochchi, and Vavuniya will require the input of a TA and expansion of

QA and PCIS teams. The territory covered by the Vavuniya office is too extensive, and some

operational tasks are not done, which is why original Project plans included a base in

Trincomalee. It appears the Vavuniya office needs the supervision of a Technical Advisor to

assure that the work gets done and staff are allocated in the most efficient way. Thus far, the

East is not well supported by a Mine Action Office. It needs a regional Mine Action Office.

1.2 Assumptions

NSCMA Cooperation

Although the goals of the UNDP Project and the NSCMA are much the same, there were

miscalculations about the nature of the functional relationship between the UNDP Mine

Action Project and the Ministry, as well as the role of the UNDP Country Office. The main

problem stems from limited delegation of adequate authority by the NSCMA to the Technical



Advisers to oversee the technical operations. As a result, the field presence of the TAs is

limited in many regions, resulting in uneven performance of the support offered.

UNDP aims to accomplish a technical work in a manner that will give thorough and quality

field support and build the capacity of offices to carry on the tasks after the Project ends. The

organizational chart accompanying the Project document indicates the UNDP Technical

Adviser playing a lowly role in the Mine Action Office.4 Although the Ministry prefers a

limited involvement of international advisors, it should be acknowledged that the TAs in fact

provide input to NSCMA, GA, and MAO, ans support the main roles and processes of those

bodies in demining.

While it is appreciated that the Ministry claimed ownership of the Mine Action Programme,

it does need to acknowledge that partners providing technical assistance that will enable the

Programme to function independently should be allowed to carry out their tasks with the

necessary independence to provide effective technical support, with a minimum of ongoing

consultation. The UNDP Country Office is responsible for the Mine Action Project‟s

contribution, and must safeguard that it is able to fulfill its donor mandate.

Clearance Rates in a Conflict Region

The Project made little allowance for disruptions due to renewed conflict. While mine

clearance rates increased in large measure once the government programme became fully

functional in 2003, in 2005 its achievements peaked. It will be difficult to forecast mine

clearance rates in this current period of unrest. Calculations thus far by the NSCMA are

apparently based on the best clearance rates, although the most accessible minefields have

already been cleared. The more complex and unmapped ones remain, and the mined “high

security zones” (HSZ) in the North and East are inaccessible at least as long as the conflict

continues. This makes calculation of an end state of mine clearance highly speculative.

Indeed, statistics offered by the mine action offices in Jaffna and Vavuniya indicated that in

Jaffna only 20% of the suspect land had been cleared. In Vavuniya and the East it ranges

from 2-10%. It is not clear what percentage of the uncleared land is high priority. The

technical survey that the Project will coordinate over the next year should reduce large areas

of suspect land and make the extent of future mine clearance needs more evident.

Although the UNDP MAP had originally envisaged assisting the NSCMA until the high as

well as medium-priority sites were cleared, it now seems that it may be handing over

responsibilities by the end of 2008 in line with the Government‟s revised focus and target

date of clearance of high priority zones only. Due to the renewed state of conflict that

interrupts clearance donor interest in this sector is also gradually decreasing. However, the

UNDP Project was not intended to oversee the last mine cleared, but to build government

capacity to perform the task and to meet ongoing needs. This strategy means that the Project

does not need to be interrupted by an increase in conflict.

As the Ministry points out, by 2008 it plans to have up to six hundred trained soldiers in its

own mine clearance team, as well as a potential pool of about a thousand other deminers

trained by the international demining agencies. As long as it now develops its own national

Mine Action Office with technically qualified local staff, the Ministry can be prepared to take

over from the UNDP MAP by the end of 2008. It can then reassess its human and financial

resource base and priority demining list. The cost of demining will be much lower without

the costs of foreign agencies and their higher local staff salaries.

4 See UNDP Support to Mine Action in Sri Lanka, Annex



System Capacity

There is an ongoing assumption that the provision of skills to local staff in mine action field

offices equips them to carry out independently the projects and processes established by the

international technical adviser. There is little realization that it is often the very presence of

an impartial outsider that makes the process possible. We observed that the lack of such a

person in the leadership role led to adverse effects on team work, or slackness in operations.

Examining in detail the system and social assumptions in place is as important as developing

the skills of individuals. Without a keen understanding of the limited capacity of the system,

it will be hard for the individuals in the district mine action offices to sustain a high level of

functioning and quality assurance once the Technical Advisers leave.

While the Jaffna office functions well with current staff levels and no changes are

recommended, the Kilinochchi and Vavuniya offices need more staff and technical

supervision in order to meet the demands for the services and provide an adequately trained

pool of mine action officers to meet upcoming needs for the technical survey, ongoing

demining, and monitoring. In addition, the Colombo Mine Action Officer is busy responding

to urgent matters and lacks the time to tend to longer-term issues. Staffing issues should be

reassessed, especially as building the capacity of the National Mine Action Office will

require much planning and collaboration.

The Technical Advisers can best decide if some field staff can be shared between offices.

Right now Vavuniya staff cannot cope with the workload as well as travel to Mannar,

Trincomalee and Batticaloa. Operational issues are left undone. It may be that the presence

of a Technical Adviser could help that office allocate its staff resources for better field

coverage, but more staff will be needed if the Project seeks to do its job well. When

reviewing the anticipated workload to meet the priorities of 2006, the UNDP and Ministry

agreed to have three Technical Advisers and 1 IMSMA international consultant and should

proceed to filling the two vacancies that have developed since this decision was taken.

There is some question as to how the system will be maintained once the international

technical adviser is withdrawn.5 Perhaps demining activities will be nearly completed and so

a Mine Action Officer in the GA‟s office can coordinate ongoing activities, including Quality

Assurance, MRE and IMSMA database management. Again, broader representation

throughout the affected regions would facilitate this transition to national control. In the

meantime, short courses or short-term advisers could train the staff on some specific issues

that could improve Programme technical capacity and performance.

1.3 Compatibility of Objectives

This project had basic objectives related to capacity building for effective mine clearance and

was sought by the Ministry to help it coordinate demining activities in the field. Nonetheless,

the Project‟s aim of building technical capacity was at times perceived as being in

competition with the NSCMA‟s leadership in the National Programme.

The UNDP Project is directed mostly by Technical Advisers who provide expertise on all

mine action related systems and processes that can make this project a success. The NSCMA,

understandably concerned to keep control of the Project‟s contribution to the National

5 The staffing diagram as part of the original project document indicated a lowly position for the Technical

Adviser. In practice, he provides critical technical input at the top of the chart to the head of NSCMA, the GA

and the Mine Action Officer.



Programme, has tended to become involved in project management and operational details.

This relationship has not always yielded optimal delivery and efficiency of results.

In fact, both the National Programme and UNDP Project share the same main end goals in

mine action. The Technical Advisers have a good grasp of the needs of quality assurance in

mine clearance operations. They also encourage members of their staff to develop their skills

and present their findings as part of a constructive team. To develop a comprehensive

approach a joint view needs to be developed with the NCSMA (and the Ministry of Nation

Building and Development) on the authority and expertise of the UNDP Technical Advisors

who should assume the day to day management functions of the project under the overall

strategic guidance of the NCSMA.

The Government is relying on outside expertise for a limited period. Until then, it requires a

foreign field presence to assure completion of the Programme mission, especially in conflict

areas. Now is the time to set up a National Mine Action Office with an Officer who can begin

to observe and learn from the UNDP Project work in the field and be prepared to supervise

the field offices by the end of 2008.



1.4 Lack of Strategic and Risk Management Plan

Strategic Plan

The Government of Sri Lanka has set out a strategy for mine action that provides a view of its

vision for a mine impact free Sri Lanka by 2008. Furthermore, much work has been done at a

district level to establish a prioritization mechanism under the authority of the Government

Agents, and the relationship between implementing agents and the UNDP project are

exceptionally good.

However, the strategy does not provide a definition of „mine impact free‟6 and there appears

to be a risk of a shortfall in achievement with an end date set at 2008, if current progress rates

are maintained. Some demining agencies interviewed considered this date a reasonable target

providing the security situation does not further deteriorate and that access continues to be

given to minefield clearance tasks.

There is no strategic plan that provides a quantitative assessment of the resources likely to be

needed to achieve the aims of the strategy. There is also no agreed exit strategy for UNDP

and international involvement and little has been done by the UNDP MAP to assist with a

quantitative risk management strategy. Such a strategic plan is necessary in order to mobilize

sufficient human and financial resources in a timely manner.

The UNDP MAP should, in line with its stated objectives, provide technical assistance in the

production of such a plan for the Ministry and for the UNDP Project. The strategic plan

should be crafted to make allowances for contingencies and would improve donor confidence

in the planning process. It should include:

The analysis of the capacity that should be left behind at the end of international intervention in mine action in Sri Lanka, for operation by Sri Lankan resources, in order

to identify the training or equipment that might be necessary in order to help establish

such capacity. The high level of institutional development and education in Sri Lanka

suggests that any such interventions are likely to be small or moderate as much human

and material infrastructure already exists. However, a National Mine Action Office in the

Ministry must be established to oversee and maintain this process.

A quantitative analysis of the resources necessary to achieve the “mine impact free” target set out in the national strategy. The definition used by the Project is when “the

mined areas are not having a negative socio-economic impact on communities, e.g. the

mines may be in remote, marked and unpopulated areas.”7 In addition, MRE and marking

systems warn the public of uncleared minefields and UXO. It may be difficult to calculate

projected cost of demining as national deminers will cost far less than the international

agencies, and INGOs may not remain or receive funding if the conflict escalates.

Such a strategic plan will then help facilitate the generation of a suitable exit strategy for the

UNDP as well as for the international implementing agencies and foreign donors. This might

6 “Impact free” could be defined as being the point where there is no economic demand for the land left

uncleared, and where all reasonable and practicable steps have also been taken to prevent casualties in the

areas that remain contaminated. This definition has been adopted by the United States Department of State, one

of the largest donors to mine action in Sri Lanka. However, thus far, the “value” of the land in Sri Lanka has

been calculated for its importance to resettling communities, not for its economic productivity.

7 Murugathas, V, Guide for Technical Survey, p 6.



facilitate resource mobilization for a variety of possible scenarios. Not only was a strategic

plan listed in the original project Results Framework, it was also mentioned by the Project

Steering Committee in September 2005 as a priority need.

Risk Management

The security situation in Sri Lanka remains uncertain and has apparently deteriorated since

the formulation of the National Strategy. As a result, the implementing NGOs are reporting

problems with gaining access to task sites. This could have an implication for future progress

rates, as could the outbreak of war.

There is one particular aspect of risk that is specific to the context in Sri Lanka. The mine

action project has been designed and implemented to operate under the current situation of

“no war no peace” resulting from the 2002 peace accords. There are two significant risks to

the project that stem from this situation.

Risk of destabilization through the collapse of current ceasefire agreement is felt to be significant given the current situation. The implications for the mine action program

include:

o Loss of demining teams due to their recall to other duties

o Loss of donor support for mine clearance at a time of combat

o The risk of re-mining if full hostilities break out.

There are some risk management strategies that UNDP could help prepare for in order to

minimize the impact of such events. These would include:

o Maintaining the current RMAO structure to ensure continuity once the

situation re-stabilizes

o Providing a safe haven for the existing IMSMA records

o Preparing plans for a new impact survey to be conducted at the end of any new

period of hostility to re-assess the contamination.

The establishment of a lasting peace settlement would require a significant revision of the current clearance plans. Respondents from the Sri Lankan Army suggested that they

would need help from implementing NGOs to clear the high security zones so that

inhabitants could return. Risk to the public is low, however, as the HSZ would not be

released until they were demined.



2. Project Implementation

2.1 Cooperation and Coordination

This Project achieves a high degree of coordination and cooperation with donors, government

officials, the military, implementing agencies and UN partners. Demining agencies train local

deminers to conduct mine clearance. They also undergo accreditation and quality assurance

monitoring. Government Agents oversee the district steering committee meetings that set

priorities for demining and confirm the task completion. UNICEF and local NGOs assist with

Mine Risk Education (MRE) activities and rehabilitation of landmine victims. All

implementing partners submit their field data for the IMSMA database, and rely on Mine

Action Project maps in order to assess development options for cleared land.

The prevailing differences in interpretation and approach between the Ministry of Nation

Building and Development and the Project need to be remedied if this Project is to complete

its mission.

One area of limited cooperation and coordination was the support offered to the Project by

the UNDP Country Office due to its own restricted capacity. The very technical nature of the

Project has led the UNDP to delegate the main management responsibility to the Project. The

shortfall in human resources capacity seems to have been ameliorated in late 2005 and has

allowed for closer support on budgetary management and overall management guidance on

the side of the UNDP Country Office. It is recommended that UNDP Country Office staff

increases the frequency of field visits to strengthen their understanding on the issues affecting

the Project.

In addition, the oversight and recommendations of the Project Steering Committee seem to

lack a mechanism for implementation. Although many of their findings seek to assure the

Project reaches its goals, the question remains as to who takes the ultimate decision in

defining roles, responsibilities and strategy, and who enforces it.

2.2 Quality and Appropriateness of Structures

This project is executed through the DEX modality for reasons that continue to be relevant.

First, UNDP brings neutrality to the Project, which works across lines of conflict to serve

members of each community. The international TAs working under a UN support project

have increased leverage for protection of national mine action staff and have scope for

building trust and mediate between the different parties. In the light of the security situation

which restricts the movements of the MAO teams and access across defensive lines, this

strongly influences the overall success of the project. Second, the donors prefer to see their

funds administered by UNDP as UNDP procedures on monitoring and financial reporting suit

their needs. Third, the administrative management of the Project might put a heavy burden on

the capacities of the NSCMA, if it were to be administered by their office.



2.3 Capacity Building

NCSMA

The project began with the focus on building the capacity of the Ministry to coordinate mine

clearance agencies through a National Steering Committee on Mine Action (NSCMA). This

body is composed of all key stakeholders in mine action, such as the UNDP, UNICEF,

donors, clearance operators and other mine action organizations. The NSCMA is presided

over by the Ministry of NBD‟s Secretary and chaired by his Advisor, and meets every six

weeks to address issues in mine clearance that have occurred in the interim period.

Meetings provide an opportunity for mine clearance agencies, donors, the Government, the

Sri Lankan Army, Tamil representatives and other interested parties to provide an update of

their field work and to raise operational issues.

The NSCMA does provide a formal occasion for demining agencies to meet and review their

progress, and meetings are well attended. The Ministry also issues a Progress Report on Mine

Clearance, and the Secretary and Advisor are genuinely interested in making NSCMA a

success. However, in order to obtain a comprehensive picture on progress of mine clearance,

various sources of information are required. The mission met with agency representatives in

the field and visited their demining sites.

A key issue NCSMA needs to resolve is which reporting system the Ministry will adopt for

mine clearance activities. Currently it has its own system, while the UNDP Mine Action

offices are using IMSMA. It may be that NSCMA leadership can attend a short course to

learn more about how to extract valuable data from IMSMA.

Quality Assurance

Perhaps the most critical technical function that the UNDP Project plays is in the introduction

of the methodology that regulates mine clearance techniques and capabilities. Not only is it

of vital importance that agencies be exposed to the varied forms of clearance and the benefits

of each. They need to follow an approved system of marking a site that will lead to safe and

reliable mine clearance. Protective clothing, suitable working hours and break time, first aid

equipment on site, and other issues are checked as part of the QA inspection process.

MRE also undergoes QA visits. One such visit discovered that a local NGO implementing

partner had not carried out the family visits it claimed. As so much of MRE depends upon the

honest representation of activities, UNICEF then terminated the contract for services with

that agency.

QA teams are one area where this project needs to expand. Three teams of eight persons now

serve the project with random field monitoring. Each field office will need a QA team. The

training in survey methodology and analysis will make the Mine Action staff more useful

over time, as aims and needs in mine action are reviewed.



Accreditation

The accreditation process seeks to identify, through a realistic exercise, how mine clearance

agencies actually operate and whether their methods can be relied upon. Careless marking

and clearance may lead the government and public to think that a patch of land is safe when it

is not. Several mine agencies did not initially receive accreditation. They improved their

clearance and safety measures and today are respected for the services they perform.

Much effort has gone into establishing an effective and credible accreditation process in Sri

Lanka. The work undertaken to establish this process is commendable, and demonstrates

almost the ideal of capacity development, i.e. how UNDP technical assistance under the

guidance and direction of the Ministry of Nation Building and Development has developed a

capacity that is now overseen by a Sri Lankan institution (i.e. the SLA).

It is unfortunate that such an effective development is slightly marred by the reported fact

that one agency (MMIPE) has failed its accreditation but has been allowed to continue

operating. This has quality and liability implications for both the Programme and the UNDP

MAP, as the ability of an agency that cannot pass the accreditation to produce clear ground

must be in doubt. The situation is somewhat ameliorated, as MMIPE are apparently not active

at the moment. Assistance should be offered to MMIPE to enable them to reach accreditation

standard and resume clearance operations. The appeals procedure for agencies that fail

accreditation must be formalized.

Prioritization and Post-Clearance Impact Surveys

Prioritization of mine clearance sites in Jaffna and Vavuniya occurs through a highly

participatory process coordinated by the Government Agent. Sites are classified as high,

medium and low risk, with high and medium-risk ones first tasked for clearance as areas with

known minefields that cannot be easily avoided. Low risk areas are those that would have

little productive use, or are not readily accessible. One way to assess the prioritization process

would be to review how many accidents occurred in areas now classified as “low-risk”. It

appears that the prioritization process in government held areas is acceptable8, and that

informal assessments of land use, value and accessibility are the deciding factors.

The Government‟s goal is to clear most high and medium-risk sites, in order to eliminate the

impact of mines, if not their presence. The actual success of a mine clearance operation can

be measured in various ways:

- the number of mines/UXO cleared(which is standard used by Halo Trust),

- the amount of area cleared or released( the variance of which causes some

discrepancies in reporting),

- the value to community life and resettlement

- the economic value of the cleared land. 9

Thus far, the government programme seems focused on assessing the first three, and

Government Agents (GA) in the districts repeated that their primary interest in prioritizing

mine clearance sites was the community life for resettlement of displaced persons (IDPs).

Although a cursory review of the Post-Clearance Impact Surveys (PCIS) available at this

stage reveals that most demined sites list the vast number of direct and indirect beneficiaries

as coming from clearance of roads, fields, schools, temples and electricity grids and not

8 Questions were raised about site selection in LTTE-controlled areas, especially the Vanni.

9In this document, the term “cleared” refers to areas cleared of mines and UXO. In Sri Lanka the term “cleared”

can also carry the political connotation of land freed of LTTE control and under the authority of the SLA.



housing, we did see some evidence of resettlement.10

The PCIS also indicate some plans of

government and INGO assistance for housing development in support of IDP returns.

According to the priorities confirmed by the Government Agents, more effort needs to be

made to assure that cleared land is actually able to be redeveloped for resettlement.11

Consideration of the economic productivity of the land has been a factor in the areas where

farmers and fishermen seek to resettle, as each wants to live in an area that also assures his

livelihood.

Some revision needs to be made of the PCIS process to allow for a thoughtful analysis of the

practical effects of mine clearance. Norwegian People‟s Aid (NPA) uses a Task Impact

Assessment reporting format which provides a lot of useful socio-economic detail. Ideally,

the impact assessment process would have uniform inputs and survey methods to enable

better analysis of regional impact. And they would seek to identify what keeps former

inhabitants from returning to their land after it has been demined. Analysis of available data

suggests some factors, such as lack of livelihood or habituation to better facilities, but more

thorough research needs to be done, especially to include those who have not returned.

IMSMA and Reporting

This database set up by the Project not only collects information on mine clearance, but also

on the monitoring of quality assurance visits as well as activities relating to Mine Risk

Education. As the Ministry has its own reporting system, there is some confusion over the

ongoing value of the database, as at this point in time, no one at the Ministry will be able to

maintain the system once the UNDP project ceases.

Much work has been done to establish a credible and effective data collection system. The

MAO personnel are well trained in the issues of data collection and collation, and

comprehensive quality checking procedures are in place to minimize the risk of transcription

errors.

IMSMA is not a particularly flexible geographic information system (GIS) but the ability of

the UNDP MAP personnel to enter and recover data is commendable, even when compared

with other systems. Furthermore, the close relations between the MAO and the implementing

NGOs and the Army mean that the ability of the IMSMA staff to keep the data updated is

particularly good, with the cooperation of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) being noteworthy.

There are two problems with the current system:

Technical problems with the base mapping that the GIS uses. The current base map is a

scanned paper map and as a result this contributes to some positional errors of the data points.

Improved digital maps are available from the Survey Department and cooperation with the

Survey Department could go some way to improving the positional accuracy of the mapping

data.

Inability to analyze the raw data. IMSMA produces very accurate and verifiable numeric data

but the personnel are currently limited in their ability to interpret and analyze the data to

10

This from the Jaffna Post Clearance Impact Assessments of 2005 and 2006. Unfortunately charts from the

first year included beneficiaries of both resettlement and housing, while in the second year they were lumped

under the single heading of “housing”, making it difficult to quantify real numbers or chart differences between

the years. 11

During our visit, the High Court issued a ruling that required the government either to release private land

currently occupied as high security zones or to provide alternative lands for resettlement that would not

compromise original ownership rights. This identification of other sites in the heavily mined areas of the North

and East could require a reprioritization of current demining tasks.



identify trends, spot systemic problems in mine action implementation and track the

performance of service providers against a quantified strategic plan. This is largely due to the

lack of suitable technical advisers.

Largely as a result of the problems in interpreting the data presented by IMSMA, the Ministry

of Nation Building and Development has collected ad hoc progress reports from

implementing agencies. These appear to use different reporting periods and do not have

access to the comprehensive data checking processes used in the IMSMA framework. As a

result, the two data sets are different and diverging.12

This strains the credibility of the

reporting process.

It seems prudent that (a) only the IMSMA data set be used for reporting processes, but that

(b) effort is also made to improve its ability to support a credible analysis of progress.

It may be that IMSMA can be made more accessible to the Ministry with further

demonstrations of its content and utility, and how to extract desired data. When the UNDP

support ends, IMSMA records would be available as an archive of the Project‟s activities.

Ideally, they should be maintained in an ongoing system that could be of future use to land

use and survey departments of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), if not to the Ministry.

2.3.1 Mine Clearance Technical Operations

DMAO

The second aim of the UNDP Project was to develop a support structure to assist mine

clearance agencies in the field. These District Mine Action Offices serve the purpose of

building local capacity to coordinate, assist and oversee demining activities, with an emphasis

on Quality Assurance, Accreditation, Post Clearance Impact Surveys and interpretative data

from the IMSMA database. As mentioned above, current staffing levels allow for adequate

performance in the offices in Colombo and Jaffna. The presence of Technical Advisers means

that staff are well supervised and their skills are continually developed.

That is not the case with the offices in Kilinochchi and Vavuniya, where their resources are

stretched to the limits and things are left undone. In Vavuniya, task files are not prepared for

the demining agencies and completion certificates are not issued in a timely fashion. More

supervision would develop the competencies of the staff to match those of their counterparts

in Jaffna. The optimal resource needs of the offices in Kilinochchi and Vavuniya (and a new

one in Trincomalee) must be assessed by a Technical Adviser.

International Human Resources

Although much local capacity has been developed, the UNDP MAP is weakest in its ability

to provide support in the higher analytical functions needed to make the project most

effective. This is largely due to the small number of expatriate technical advisers (TA). It can

be desirable to avoid large numbers of expatriate technical advisers embedded in

cumbersome structures, as may be observed in some other mine action projects. However,

inadequate staffing of the Project has impaired the ability of the remaining TA to provide

capacity development assistance in better field coverage and comprehensive planning of all

key aspects of Project functions, the analysis of accident and post-clearance impact data,

MRE statistics and IMSMA data.

12

Halo Trust reports distinguish between land that is cleared and land that is released, which is a much larger

area. This could explain part of the discrepancy from dual reporting systems.



The increase in tension also makes the role of the UN expatriate personnel as independent

and objective monitors of activity in the conflict areas even more important, and so the need

for TA presence in Kilinochchi should be addressed. The TA from Jaffna can spend more

time there and test the sustainability of the DMAO structure set up in Jaffna.

Furthermore, the ability of the MAP to provide assistance in the East has been severely

constrained by the reluctance of local staff to travel from Vavuniya. The vast field area

covered by the Vavuniya office should be split in order to allow the establishment of a new

RMAO in Trincomalee that could also serve Batticaloa. In addition, the Vavuniya office

needs more oversight and training from a short-term Technical Adviser. Such persons should

only be needed for a limited duration, depending on assessed needs in a strategic plan.

Wherever possible, capacity development should be done on a project basis using short term

consultants, rather than longer term posts, to emphasize the transitory nature of the UNDP

involvement. Some of this short-term capacity development might be found through Sri

Lankan consultants.13

In addition, the Survey Department could be asked for assistance in

improving some of the cartographic problems.

Morale

As has been mentioned above, much work has been undertaken to develop a successful local

capacity in the Project Office and the Mine Action field offices. However, the morale of the

local staff is low and there is a considerable risk that the investment in human capital could

be wasted if these trained people leave for other jobs. Recent salary increases have helped

redress the inequalities with other comparable international agency posts, but three issues

remain:

Security. RMAO personnel find it hard, under the current security climate, to make journeys that put them at risk, particularly when crossing between Government and

LTTE areas. To a certain extent this problem is ameliorated by the presence of an

expatriate, but the journey times between Vavuniya and Trincomalee also add to the

coverage problem. It should be possible to divide the Vavuniya office in order to staff a

new office to cover the eastern districts without needing to recruit large numbers of

additional staff.

Short-term contracts. The UNDP cannot offer contracts beyond the current project end (i.e. December 2006) until a new project document or an extension is agreed. Short-term

contracts, coupled with the general unsettlement of the times, may encourage the local

personnel to leave for other, more stable employment. Staff should be offered annual

contracts.

Uncertain relationship with the Ministry of Nation Building and Development. The

problem appears to oscillate between two extremes: on occasion the Project has

unilaterally taken policy decisions that were felt to be in the purview of the Ministry,

while at other times the Ministry involved itself in minor managerial decisions involving

travel, staff training and recruitment. The Ministry has the authority devolving from the

sovereign Government of Sri Lanka, while the Project is contractually liable to its donors

to achieve the results set out in its project document and funding agreements. This

uncertainty impinges on staff morale as they are not sure who is responsible for what

decisions. A clear re-definition of the functional relationship between the Ministry, the

UNDP country office, and the MAP should help resolve these issues.

13

Grig.Gen. Chandrasiri and his consulting firm may be one source of suitable expertise.



Staff morale is particularly critical in small project teams where the loss of even a few

individuals has a serious effect on the available human capital. In such cases, there is a very

strong risk that the project could lose the capacity that has been developed.

Capacity development is quite a fragile process linked to the working environment, the

quality and amount of technical supervision, accessibility of supplies and transport to the

field, as well as security considerations in this conflict setting. Adequate staff support over

time is the best assurance of lasting impact.

Technical Survey

The UNDP Project has been funded by the EC to undertake a Technical Survey that would

take about a year in order to help reduce the amount of suspect land and provide a more

accurate assessment of mine clearance needs.

Recognizing that not all mines will be cleared and given the current rates of progress, just

over half of the time taken to clear under 50% of the contaminated areas is available to clear

the remaining 50%, which underlines the fact that, assuming the same types of terrain and the

same clearance techniques, not all of the remaining land could be cleared by the end of 2008.

The technical survey may be able to identify the boundaries of contaminated areas. However,

the international mine action standard (IMAS) that covers technical survey is widely thought

of as one of the weakest IMAS, in that it does not provide clear and comprehensive

guidelines of how technical surveys should be undertaken.

The problem can be summarized thus: the boundaries of regular minefields that are most

suitable for manual technical survey techniques are largely identified during the standard

minefield planning processes, and the boundaries of irregular minefields – which are the ones

that potentially offer the most „reduction‟ - cannot be reliably identified by manual

techniques. Area reduction in such sparsely mined areas can only be suitably achieved by a

combination of machines and dogs, both of which are still in comparatively short supply in

Sri Lanka.

Economic scoping techniques

It has been possible in other countries to identify the overall size of the landmine

contamination problem in broad terms through the use of economic cost-benefit analysis

techniques. This would allow planners to identify the amount of land that is worth clearing by

comparing the cost of clearance with the market value of the produce that could be grown on

that ground, measured over the lifespan of the landmine and UXO contamination and

allowing for the effect of time on prices. Conducted with the technical survey, this would

determine the amount of land that needs to be cleared and allow a definitive estimate of the

resources needed to achieve „impact free‟ by the end of 2008.

2.3.2 Mine Risk Education and Victim Assistance

UNICEF is supporting the coordination of the MRE sector and the implementation of

projects in the area of MRE and survivor assistance. It has a variety of local NGO partners in

each region that carry out mine and UXO awareness through a multi-faceted approach

involving community mobilization, coverage through the school curriculum and media

campaigns. Although mine accidents have fallen, it is difficult to assess the impact of MRE in

accident reduction because it is concomitant with mine clearance and reduced movements of

population. Surveys of MRE participants can indicate that mine awareness education has had

an impact, which varies between regions.



Current aims seek to focus on young men, who are the largest risk group. Fencing and

marking systems to alert returnees to the presence of minefields are also an ongoing need.

While the largest number of entries in the Quality Assurance monitoring of IMSMA are from

MRE little is really known about how general public knowledge of mine and UXO risks

affects behavior. Informal demining of private land does occur14

and may be the standard

employment for someone trained in demining. It would be interesting to investigate the

circumstances behind the hiring of private deminers.

Victim assistance is complex because local NGOs cannot only assist those disabled because

of landmines. The same psycho-social counseling, access to prostheses and mobility devices,

as well as vocational training is meant to help all victims regain a normal life and livelihood.

It would be useful to revisit victims and assess their current status and needs.

As IMSMA data indicates a large number of victims due to “unknown” causes, it appeared

that they might have been engaged in illegal activities. But it seems that field staff might not

have spoken with the victim directly, but with his family, who did not know the details of the

landmine accident. This variance in survey methodology introduced avoidable distortions and

should be corrected through a reliance on the primary source when charting casualties.

2.3.3 Landmine Ban Advocacy

Support for the signature of the Sri Lankan Government of the Ottawa Convention on the

banning of landmines and for the LTTE to sign the Geneva Call Deed of Commitment15

continues. Many donors now state they will not contribute more funds for mine clearance

until the government signs the Convention.

The Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies sponsored a conference in 2004 that addressed

the issue of the Landmine Ban, and a Landmine Action Day was held in April of this year.

Parties involved with advocacy note that the Government has agreed to sign the Convention

if the LTTE agrees to sign the Geneva Call Deed, but the matter was meant to be pursued

through the Geneva talks which are on hold. Signing and ratifying the Convention still does

not assure compliance, so the best formula for securing support for the ban is an effective

peace process that restricts the need for mining.

3. Sustainability

Mine Clearance

In the best case scenario, most of the high and medium priority sites would have been

demined by the new 2008 target date. An important factor to be determined in a strategic plan

is what level of mine clearance activity will be needed in a variety of contingencies. The

Ministry plans to make operational as civilian deminers a group of SLA members trained by

RONCO. In a situation of conflict they may be needed by the Army. Deminers trained by

INGOs will remain as a skilled workforce even if their agencies cease operations.

Some local MAO staff indicated that they would seek to remain in their job even if the

UNDP ceased to provide support and funding. Even though a government salary would be

comparatively lower, staff were proud of their skills level and wanted to continue in a line of

work that made them feel useful. This is probably also true of deminers.16

14

UNICEF, MRE Programme in Sri Lanka. 15

The parallel document for Non-State Actors. 16

According to UNICEF, there are private deminers earning a good income clearing land.



Mine Action Offices

The most important factor for sustainability of the UNDP capacity development in Mine

Action field offices is the successful establishment of a National Mine Action Office to take

over the UNDP technical and supervisory role. A technically qualified national Mine Action

Officer should be able to oversee and maintain the structures the UNDP has established in the

field.

As the UNDP builds the capacity of the Government to oversee all aspects of mine clearance,

that capacity building function is likely to continue for the next two years, regardless of the

conflict or clearance rates, in order to equip a sufficient number of staff in the skills the

national Mine Action Offices will need.

Most mine action field offices are located on the compound of the Government Agent, so

facilities are available at little or no cost. At one point, junior civil servants in training were

meant to be available to the Mine Action Project offices. That option should be reviewed

again.

By 2008, actual mine clearance activity could be low, either due to ongoing unrest making

sites inaccessible or to completion of the task. In either event, the NSCMA and its district

counterparts will have to coordinate needs assessments. There should be ongoing quality

assurance visits as long as demining occurs. More teams should be trained in Impact

Assessments, Quality Assurance and Post-Clearance Impact Surveying.

Database of defined and contaminated areas

As some areas potentially will remain contaminated, there needs to be a database of defined

and contaminated areas. While UNDP-funded personnel are managing the IMSMA database

for now, there is a need to identify a suitable home and budget to maintain this database at the

end of the Project. Initial inquiries suggest that it could be possible to house the database

within the Survey Department, which is part of the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture.

Otherwise it should be stored as an archive accessible to agencies interested in land use data.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) capacity

A sustainable EOD capacity is needed to deal with items of unexploded ordnance (UXO).

The UXO problem in Sri Lanka is comparatively light and the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) has

undergone extensive training in mine action in a programme funded by the USA. It may be

that there is no need for additional investment for an EOD capacity, but this needs to be

confirmed.

Community-based marking activities

There is a difference in the degree of mine contamination marking from region to region.

This has been blamed on people stealing marking, and differences in population density,

access to wood, and type of material used for marking may all be contributory factors. In

some parts of the country, marking fencing appears to be used successfully for other

purposes, suggesting that communities that „own‟ the fencing may be less likely to steal it.

The absence of mined area marking is known to contribute to the risk of mine casualties, and

so, in order to reduce impact, research should be done on the viability of community-based

marking activities.

Mine Risk Education (MRE) capacity

There will be an ongoing need for targeted MRE activities in Sri Lanka to advise people

about the areas that will remain contaminated, and also to whom they should report any UXO

that they discover. Many agencies have been implementing MRE activities in Sri Lanka,

coordinated by UNICEF on behalf of the government. However, UNICEF needs to develop



an exit strategy for international involvement and a sustainable home for the residual MRE

activity that will be needed.

Mine Victim Assistance (MVA)

The survivors of landmine and UXO explosions often require assistance for the rest of their

lives, given that prostheses wear out every two to three years. Work needs to be undertaken to

ensure that the existing MVA activities are fully incorporated into sustainable health

programs in Sri Lanka.

Protection Role

It is unclear in a setting of continued conflict who will provide a protection role for field mine

action officers to enable them to travel and carry out their work. If their field activities are

constrained for too long - or in the event mine clearance is no longer needed - many would

presumably seek other work. It appears that the survey techniques, the analysis and reporting,

the data entry and the team work would equip Mine Action Project staff well to transfer their

skills and experience to other employment possibilities. Other international agencies may

agree to play a protection role of Mine Action Project staff.



4. Revised Project Strategy

Should the UNDP and Ministry of Nation Building and Development agree on the terms of a

continued role for the UNDP Project in its capacity building role for NSCMA and a National

Mine Action Office, there will be a few areas requiring UNDP technical input:

Provide additional Field Technical Advisers to assure uniform coverage of Mine Action

Project services. Assist the new National Mine Action Officer (Ministry technical staff

person) in gaining knowledge of how the field offices work and the services they offer.

Assist in the drafting of strategic plans for NSCMA, the national MAO and the field offices to address ongoing demining issues after 2008 that will be sustainable with Sri

Lankan government funding.

Oversee the Technical Survey, which will help to determine the size and scope of the activities necessary for demining agencies to achieve the mine impact free target, in order

to assist planning and resource mobilization.

Train more QA teams and revise PCIS methodology to have greater utility as a planning

tool for resettlement and development.

Provide short-term training in support of project staff for targeted capacity development and management skills.

Already discussed is the need for more international technical assistance through Technical

Advisers based in Kilinochchi (from Jaffna), Vavuniya (short term) and Trincomalee.

Complaints from demining organizations about the lack of operational support from the

Vavuniya office for demining in the East indicate a need to improve services in those areas.

The above activities should be detailed through a document outlining the roles and

responsibilities of the Mine Action Project in relation to NSCMA, the national MAO and the

Ministry, with a clear delegation of authority, as well as a detailed strategic plan of the

UNDP's objectives, inputs and project completion.

It is the desire of UNDP to do the job well, with thorough coverage and sustainable results –

for both structures and processes. This will be achieved through three activities:

1. Development of a Strategic Plan that outlines UNDP activities in mine action and

capacity building until 2008 and a National Strategic Plan for how they will prepare for the

transition.

2. Mine Clearance Support, technical survey and monitoring

3. Capacity Building of National and field Mine Action Offices, through Technical

Advisers, short-term assistance, skills workshops and assessments of future needs



5. Analysis for UNDP Project Involvement until 2008

5.1 SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Landmines continue to have a significant impact on Sri Lanka. Several agencies have

reported how their projects - particularly resettlement projects - are constrained by mines.

UNDP involvement in mine action is therefore relevant in terms of these development goals.

Sri Lanka has a national strategy with a projected end date of 2008 and a planned end state of

a 'mine impact free‟ Sri Lanka outside the high security zones. There is unanimous support

for the extension of mine action effort beyond 2006; the dates suggested in the Sri Lankan

strategy (i.e. between 2007 and 2008) are considered reasonable estimates for high priority

sites.

A great deal has been achieved: mine clearance capacity has been developed, standards are

generally high and coordination, quality assurance, accident investigation and reporting

mechanisms have also been established. The concept of operations followed by UNDP and

the assistance provided by the UNDP Mine Action Project (MAP) have been universally

welcomed by all stakeholders that have been interviewed, including the Government Agents,

mine action implementing agencies, development agencies and donors.

Sri Lanka has an effective educational system; the human resource pool is good and it is

possible to find highly educated personnel. As a result the input needed to establish truly

sustainable elements for a national mine action program is comparatively small and easily

obtainable within the context of the planned extension of the program (and the MAP) to

2008.

Weaknesses

A lot has been done; however the program faces a series of challenges - not least in the

provision of continued donor support - unless these challenges are addressed. A major

oversight has been the failure to build capacity at the central level in a national Mine Action

office.

The MAP project is under staffed and as a result is unable to concentrate on providing

appropriate strategic advice and project management skills as it is forced to use its available

resources to manage day to day activities. For example, although a national strategy exists

there is no strategic plan that sets out the resources necessary to achieve an undefined end

state of „mine impact free by 2008‟ and as yet no plan to achieve a sustainable capacity in the

roles currently undertaken by the UNDP project that could operate after the end of

international funding.

Many of the higher technical skills are not fully developed. While project staff are trained and

able to carry out quality control/quality assurance tasks, they have limited skills in the higher

analytical processes that constitute quality management, post clearance impact survey and

accident investigation. Local staff morale is also low and many are considering seeking

alternative employment. Such a loss of human capital could have a significant effect on the

success of the project in developing sustainable capacity.

Opportunities



The Project has the potential to assist Sri Lanka to address and overcome challenges and thus

help meet the goals set out in its strategy document. The development of a quantitative

strategic plan, including appropriate risk management and exit strategies, will help mobilize

resources and assist in the successful conclusion of international involvement in the Sri

Lankan mine action program within the forecast end date of 2008. Donors have stated that

they welcome continued UNDP involvement in this regard.

A review of the institutional framework and the relationship between the Ministry of Nation

Building and Development (MNBD), the UNDP Country Office and the MAP should provide

the opportunity to clarify a division of responsibilities and allow the Project to meet its

responsibilities. This will include the creation of a National Mine Action Office to carry on

the Project role.

Threats

Of most concern is the security situation in Sri Lanka. This is clearly an external threat and

cannot be controlled by the UNDP. However, the development of a risk management strategy

as part of a strategic plan should also allow the Project to support the Government

Programme in the event of significant changes to the current „no war no peace‟ situation.

Furthermore, the ongoing role of the expatriate technical advisors within the MAP helps

provide a guarantee of independence and protection to the local staff employed in sensitive

areas.

The Project accomplishments in developing functional field capacity risk being lost if no

technical capacity is established in a national Mine Action Office to provide guidance,

technical support and training and oversight.

There is also the risk of loss of institutional memory and human capital due to staff turn-over.

This situation needs to be addressed as a matter of priority as a loss of critical personnel in

the short term will seriously hamper the chances of the MAP achieving its full aims.

5.2 Analysis of Technical Assistance

It has been shown that the UNDP Mine Action Project has to assist in capacity building tasks,

at the same time as being required to undertake independent monitoring. The project is

currently under-staffed in terms of Technical Advisers (TA) and cannot fully manage any

expansion of the project activities without abandoning other duties such as the training of the

National and regional Mine Action Office staff.

A possible personnel structure to fulfill critical project functions until the end of

implementation period could be as follows:

One TA in Colombo to provide advice at a national level, to manage the capacity development and short term assistance projects, and assist in coordination in the

establishment of the national Mine Action Office.

One TA in each region to assist with coordination at a local level, to provide independent monitoring and provide training to RMAO staff. The geographic dispersion of the

RMAO suggest that TA would be required in the following locations:

o Jaffna/Kilinochchi with more time spent in Kilinochchi until its capacity is

built and to test the sustainability of the Jaffna office



o Vavuniya, short-term, until the local capacity is built, especially in operations

o Trincomalee, can help build capacity of Vavuniya, and the East

One international IMSMA consultant based in Colombo to assist with specific tasks related to improved data collection and management, including mainstreaming one

reporting system.

These staff positions may be filled as in-kind contributions from donors. The Sri Lankan

Army has been very satisfied by the contribution of the RONCO project manager, and it

might be possible to persuade the US Department of State to ask RONCO to extend this

person‟s contract to take on one of these positions. Other donors might be willing to do

likewise and there are several sources of suitable personnel.

5.2.1 Project planning and strategic advice

A priority is the drafting of a Strategic Plan for the UNDP Project and the NSCMA that

includes the development of and handover to the National Mine Action Office, and the

sustainable development of field offices and mobilization of resources to expand short-term

activities in support of project completion. This suggests that there is a full-time job for a

senior technical planning adviser in Colombo until the end of the Project. This person would

be unavailable in this period to assist substantially in any of the field supervision tasks due to

project workload. Indeed, by the second half of 2008, the MAP should only need one adviser

for the entire project.

5.2.2 Field technical advice

Expatriate technical assistance has developed the capacity of the regional offices to a high

standard. However, work needs to be undertaken to develop the higher analytical skills of the

AMAO, and also to split the field coverage of the Vavuniya office to improve the quality of

service provided to the Eastern provinces. This will need a short term surge of temporary

assistance. By 2007, it is forecast that field TAs should only need to provide part-time

assistance to each district, with the possible exception of Kilinochchi which may need a more

constant monitoring presence.



5.2.3 Mechanisms for providing short term assistance

There are a number of specialists to provide such short term assistance. These include:

Use of personnel recruited by UNDP under a Special Services Agreement (SSA). This method is comparatively quick and is easily administered by the UNDP Country Office.

Use of personnel provided by donor funding. For example, the European Commission has

framework contracts specifically designed to allow the provision of such advice, such as

“Lot 7” and “Lot13.” This has the advantage of being a separate funding stream, but the

negotiation of such processes can be comparatively slow when compared with the UNDP.

Use of a local implementing partner to recruit and provide consultants. It may appropriate to subcontract the provision of consultants via a local partner, such as the newly-formed

demining NGO named “DASH.” The UNDP project staff could work with such an

implementing partner to ensure that the correct caliber of personnel is selected. This

method is unlikely to be any cheaper than the SSA model, especially taking the

management fee of the local agent into account, but it may be more politically expedient

and thus reduce delays that are apparently caused by the approval process. Given the

short time frame of the project, being able to minimize such delays could be significant.

5.2.4 Capacity development through short term skills workshops

Many of these could be dealt with in short term skills research missions and workshops. The

skills issues include:

Development of an analytical approach to use of Post Clearance Impact Survey Data in refining priority setting

Potential for community based marking approaches to delineating hazardous areas that will be left uncleared in the immediate future

Coordinated approach to setting GPS to ensure consistent readings

Use of economic cost benefit analysis techniques to assess the size of the contamination problem



6. Conclusion

The year 2005 was the best on record for mine clearance in Sri Lanka. This year, 2006, may

not even reach the levels of 2003, which the UNDP project began. And yet, this is not a

reflection of the efficacy of either the Government‟s Programme or the UNDP‟s support

project. At this uncertain stage in the political process, the UNDP should continue with its

Technical Survey of suspected areas in order to assess the further need for demining. As the

survey will take a year, it ensures an important role for the UNDP until the end of 2007.

Whether mine clearance activity continues apace or not, a final capacity building effort will

need to be made in the last year of the project, in 2008. In the best case scenario, mine

clearance activities will continue, the survey will clarify what remains to be done, and the

national and district mine action offices will have the capacity to carry on their monitoring,

QA and PCIS work without the direct assistance of the UNDP and its Technical Advisers.

Any future mine clearance, including the high risk areas as they are released, can be handled

by the civilian deminers trained by each agency, the HDU and the SLA members trained by

RONCO and intended to work for the Ministry of NBD as civilian deminers.

To be determined is how the IMSMA database will be managed. For now, donors prefer the

impartiality of the UNDP in maintaining such sensitive information. In future, the

Government survey department may want to incorporate its information into their land use

data.

The key findings with regard to the future of the Project can be summarized as follows:

Now that NSCMA is successfully functioning, the Project should encourage the

Ministry to hire a technical officer to start up the national Mine Action office, so that the

Project TAs can share with them the skills and management capacity building that they

perform in the field. This Office should be ready to take over by the end of 2008.

Continue the project-based approach to leave behind a suitable capacity that the government can sustain as it carries out residual functions after the „mine impact free‟ end

state is achieved. This means expansion of trained staff to provide full coverage of activities

in areas of the North and East. Testing sustainability can be tried with the Jaffna office as that

TA spends more time in Kilinochchi.

Assist demining agencies through a technical survey to assess remaining needs as the Government Programme moves towards a quantified end state acceptable to all stakeholders.

Use short term technical assistance (in refinement of QA, PCIS, IMSMA) to provide specific skills inputs necessary to address particular shortfalls identified in the project. Field

offices in Kilinochchi and Trincomalee need most attention; the operations officer in

Vavuniya needs correction or replacement, along with short-term TA oversight for the entire

office. However, all field offices will need some protection and intervention by international

staff who can act with neutrality and authority in difficult situations.

Continue the role of independent monitoring, but at a size necessary to make this

process viable, using other sources of personnel apart from UNDP if necessary.

Conduct appropriate risk management planning activities

Reduce the project size at a rate commensurate with the remaining activity.



The aim of this UNDP Project is to develop local and national capabilities to implement and

manage effective mine action activities that are targeted to the resettlement and

reconstruction goals of the country. That requires a national Mine Action Office that can

function with minimal external support. If it can achieve a consensus on these future

activities with the Ministry and NSCMA, the UNDP should continue to support the mine

action program until 2008.

7. Appendices

A. Evaluation Methodology

Qualitative Methods

Review of project documentation, including, quarterly reports and evaluations

Review of mine clearance documentation, including contracts, report and prioritization and impact data

Interviews with key informant members of the UNDP Mine Action Project, the UNDP Country Office, the Ministry of Nation Building and Development,

Government Agents, donors. other UN and international agencies, and implementing

partners.

Individual and group meetings with UNDP field office staff

Semi-structured interviews with NGOs involved in project implementation

Direct observation of projects

Oral presentation of draft report to stakeholders for feedback

UNDP project documentation was extensive. Key informant interviews lasted about an hour.

Field visits were generally made with the NGO implementing partner, who demonstrated

their demining methodology and the variety of sites. At each visit to a UNDP field office and

implementing partner field site we were given a briefing on the scope of activities and

problems faced. The problems were noted and checked against other sites to identify

recurring issues.

As this evaluation took place in a time of renewed conflict and during breaks in the demining

cycle, some sites had suspended operations. Nonetheless, we were able to observe a variety

of different methods and terrains and compare the operations of different demining agencies.

In order to triangulate data sources and assess the value of the UNDP support to demining,

we spoke with other donors and international agencies. Members of the NGO or UN office

accompanying me served as translator. UNDP program managers joined one field visit.

A key limitation to the evaluation was lack of access to returnees and other beneficiaries,

mostly because of time constraints. We did visit a Halo Trust site in Jaffna that was very

close to a village and spoke with residents there, and we spoke with people at a Welfare

Center in Trincomalee who were soon to be resettled. As the evaluation focused on the

UNDP Project and not the Government Programme, assessment of whether the prioritization

process tasked sites that provided the most benefit for resettlement was beyond the scope of

this study.



In meetings with the Government Agents, local NGO implementing partners and

beneficiaries, our National Consultant, Mr. Edward, served as out interpreter.

Quantitative Methods

The QA staff conducted some field PCIS interviews with beneficiaries seeking basic

information about whether they had returned home or otherwise benefited from the demining

process, and their means of livelihood.

It was difficult to draw patterns from these surveys as much of the information was

incomplete or filled out by a third party with limited knowledge. Many of the PCIS had been

filled out with knowledge from the Divisional Secretary, which led to repetitive and

incomplete answers. As this survey process is in its early stages, but due to be made in six-

month intervals, much remains to be discovered about the direct and indirect benefits of

demining.

Time constraints prevented us from consulting IMSMA data on MRE, which constitutes the

largest number of entries in the system. We did find some records of QA visits to MRE

while in the field office of Vavuniya. Ironically, the MRE session visited while we were

there by a QA team was interrupted by SLA officers who asked for help with checking the

nearby road for Claymore “mines”.

B. Interviews and Meetings

UNDP Country Office

Miguel Bermeo, United Nations Resident Coordinator

Beate Trankmann, Deputy Resident Representative

Kerstin Eppert, Programme Analyst

Chip Bowness, Asia Region Land Mine Action Adviser

Nishanie Jayamaha, National Liaison Officer, UN Humanitarian Information Center

UNDP Mine Action Offices

Tim Horner, Technical Advisor, Colombo

Krishanti Weerakoon, Mine Action Officer

Ming Yu Hah, Communications Advisor

Vartharajah Murugathas, IMSMA Officer

Dhanushka Jayamaha, IMSMA Assistant

Graeme Abernethy, Technical Advisor, Jaffna

Elmo Anandarajah, Mine Action Officer, Jaffna

S. Denison Latheeskaran, Operations Officer, Jaffna

Ezthileri Nadarajah, Operations Assistant, Jaffna

M.L. Ketheeswaran, QA Team Leader, Jaffna

Baktharishikesh, IMSMA, Jaffna

Jena, RMAO Director,Kilinochchi

George Kumar, Mine Action Officer, Vavuniya

Gogulan Sewsnthinathan, IMSMA Assistant,Vavuniya

M. Shiyam, PCIS, Vavuniya

Singarayar Antony Reginols Vaz, QA Inspector, Vavuniya

Damian Bonifass, QA Inspector, Vavuniya

Government Officials

M.S. Jayasinghe, Secretary, Ministry of Nation Building and Development, and Chairman of

NSCMA



Dr. A.S. Kunasingham, Senior Advisor to the Ministry of NBD and Secretary of NSCMA

J.H.J. Jayamaha, Additional Director General, Dept. of External Resources, Ministry of

Finance

S.D. Ranasinghe, Deputy Director, Dept of External Resources, Ministry of Finance and

Planning

Brigadier ADGA Jayawardane, RSP IG, Director Operations, Sri Lankan Army

B.J.P.Mendis, Surveyor General

Mrs. Shyamalie Perara, Superintendent of Surveys, GIS, Surveyor General‟s Office

Mr..Ganesh, Government Agenct, Jaffna

Major Pradeep, SLA, Jaffna

Lt. Indoka Athigoli, SLA, Jaffna

T. Rasanayagam, Government Agent, Kilinochchi

S. Shanmugam, Government Agent, Vavuniya

K.G. Leelananda, Government Agent,Trincomalee

Demining and Development Agencies Stephen Pritchard, Programme Manager, The HALO Trust

David Elliott, Operations Manager, The HALO Trust

Magnus Johansson, Technical Advisor, Danish Demining Group

N. Sivanathan, Administrative Secretary, Jaffna Jaipur Center

S. Sathiendra, Coord. RFA, Jaipur Center

S. Sri Shanmura ,MRE Coordinator, Sarvodaya, Jaffna

S. Sritharan, Administrative Officer, Sarvodaya, Jaffna

N.K. Kumar, Coordinator, White Pidgeon, Jaffna

Sithanparanathan, Family Rehabilitation Center, Jaffna

Mahen, Save the Children, Jaffna

Charles Frisby, Project Manager, Norwegian People‟s Aid, Kilinochchi

Luke Atkinson, Programme Manager, Norwegian People‟s Aid

Uthayan, DPS Room Manager, HDU, Kilinochchi

Maj. S.L. Parjapati, Sarvatra Technical Consultants

Brig. S.S. Brar, Sarvatra Technical Consultants

Daniel Jean, Programme Manager, Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD)

Fredrik Palsson, Chief of Party, RONCO Consulting Corporation

Brig. Ananda Chandrasiri, Director, Delvon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH)

Lt. Col. Deepal Subasinghe, CEO, DELVON Computers

M.S. Ireneuss, Director, Secretariat for Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation

Needs in the North and East(SIHRN)

V. Balakumaa, Planning and Development Secretariat, Kilinochchi

Laurence Christy, Director, Planning Division, Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation

S.C.S. Chithambaronathan, District Coordinator, Family Rehabilitation Centre

Allen Jelich, Country Representative, Danish Refugee Council

UN Agencies

Eric Debert, Child Protection Officer-Mine Action, UNICEF Colombo

S. Sivanesasingam, Project Assistant-Mine Action, UNICEF Jaffna

Judith Bruno, UNICEF, Jaffna

T. Umesh, Project Assistant-Mine Action, UNICEF Kilinochchi

Hakim, UNICEF,Vavuniya

Axel Bishop, Programme Officer, UNHCR Colombo(by phone)

Edward Benson, Acting Head of Field Office, UNHCR Jaffna

Marin Din Kajdomcaj, Head of Field Office, UNHCR Kilinochchi

Mireille Girard, Head of Sub-Office, UNHCR Vavuniya

Irene Flueckiger, Head of Sub Delegation, ICRC Jaffna



Giovanni Cassani, Operations Officer, Int‟l Organization for Migration (IOM)

M.K. Shanthakumar, Site Engineer, IOM

Darishini Mahandien, Project Officer,IOM

Donors

Mariam Homayoun, Development Co-operation Advisor, European Commission

Alex Knox, Development Specialist, Australian Agency for Int‟l Development

Jonathon Wheatcroft, Counsellor and Head of Aid, Canadian High Commission

Joe William, Sr. Development Officer, Canadian Int‟l Development Agency (CIDA)

Martin Sturzinger, Adviser for Peacebuilding, Embassy of Switzerland

Evan Owen, External Relations, U.S. Embassy

Deborah Netland, Program Manager, U.S. Dept. of State Office of Weapons Removal

and Abatement(by email)

Hideyuki Onishi, Counsellor, Head of Economic Cooperation, Embassy of Japan

M. Thiruchelvam, Project Implementation Specialist, Asian Development Bank

Naresha Duraiswamy, Senior Operations Officer, The World Bank (by email)

Research Institutes

Amrit Rajapakse, Research Director, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka

Astrid Becker, Resident Director, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung

C. Documents

CIDA, Explosive Remnants of War(CD-ROM)

CIDA, The Ottawa Treaty (CD-ROM)

CIDA, Reassessing the Impact of Humanitarian Demining, 86 p.

Call for Application for Grants for Minefield Technical Surveying under the Government of

Sri Lanka‟s Strategy for Mine Action(as directed in Annex 4) 28 April 2006, 34 p., plus

annexes.

Contract for Professional Consulting Services Between the UNDP Sri Lanka and Danish

Demining Group(DDG) For Mine Clearance in Jaffna District, 05/04/06, 28 p.

Contract for Professional Services Between the UNDP Sri Lanka and the HALO Trust For

Mine Clearance in Jaffna District, 29/03/2006, 27 p.

DMAO, Jaffna District Mine Action Work Plan 2005, 229 pages

DMAO, Jaffna District Mine Action Work Plan 2006, 242 pages.

DMAO, Jaffna District Minefield Priority for Clearance 2006

DMAO Secretariat, Tsunami Disaster Statistics 31 Dec 2004, Jaffna

DMAO, PCIS Summary Reports(Alaveddi North HT-247, Alaveddy South LK 199,

Alleveddy South LK 200,Thirunelvely Kokuvil LK 140, Erlalai West LK 210, Sankathanai

Chavakachcheri HT 201, Puttur East LK156 Cirupiddi 05)



Ganesh, K., Jaffna Mine Action Overview, Jaffna, May 2006, 11p.

Government of Sri Lanka and UNDP, UNDP Support to Mine Action in Sri Lanka

(SRL/002/02), 26 p and annexes.

Government of Sri Lanka and UNDP, UNDP Support to Mine Action in Sri Lanka, 20p

Handicap International, Mine Risk Education Implementation Guide, 2001, 99 p.

HALO Trust Sri Lanka, Completed Tasks in Jaffna, 49 p.

Horwood, Chris, Humanitarian Mine Action, RRN Network Paper, March 2000, 43 p.

Humanitarian Demining Information Center, Sustainable Humanitarian Demining, 1997, 344

p.

IOM Project Location area, Jaffna, 2006.

Jaffna District Mine Action Office, Post Mine Clearance Impact Survey, Jaffna District

2005, 63 p.

Jaffna District Mine Action Office, Post Mine Clearance Impact Survey, Jaffna District

2006, 40 p.

Jaffna 2006 Minefields Requiring Prioritization by the DMASC, Jaffna

Journal of Mine Action, Victim and Survivor Assistance, MAIC, Fall 1999, 89 p.

McGrath, Rae, Landmines: Legacy of Conflict, Oxfam, 1994, 86 p.

Mine Action Information Center, Managing Landmine Casualty Data, 84 p.

Ministry of Nation Building and Development, Performance 2005 58 pages.

Ministry of Nation Building and Development Progress Report on Mine Clearance as of end

March 2006, 18 May 2006, 6p.

Ministry of Nation Building and Development Progress Report on Mine Clearance as of end

April 2006, 18 May 2006, 6p.

Ministry of Nation Building and Development, Sri Lanka Strategy for Mine Action, 32 p.

Murugathas, V., Dangerous area, Mined area Summary (North East)

UNDP Mine Action Office.

Murugathas, V., Guide for Technical Survey, UNDP Mine Action Project.

National Steering Committee on Mine Action (NSCMA), Minutes of the 26th

Meeting of the

NSCMA held in the conference room of the Ministry of Nation Building and Development

on 29 March 2006 at 10 a.m.

Norwegian People‟s Aid, Mine Action Assistance Programme for the Vanni Region of Sri

Lanka, 24 p.



NPA/HDU/TRO, NPA/HDU High Priority Area Clearance Plan, Vanni Region, Sri Lanka,

2005

Seibert, Stella, Federalism and Multi-Ethnic Societies: Opportunities and Limitations,

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

Solidar News April 2006, Solidar Consortium, Colombo. 31p.

TRO Annual Report 2003, Kilinochchi.

TRO Annual Report 2002, Kilinochchi.

TRO Contract for Support to the Mine Action Office, Kilinochchi between UNDP and TRO,

29 June 2005, 5 p. plus annexes.

Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation, Plan for the Road to Recovery, Disaster Mgt Unit,

TRO, Kilinochchi.

TRO DMU A Post –Tsunami Recovery Strategy, TRO Disaster Management Unit.

TRO Support for the Regional Mine Action Office Kilinochchi, 2 April 2006, 6 p.

UNDP Agreement for the Receipt and the Right of Use of UN Asset(s)(for RMAO

Kilinochchi), 15 July, 2005, 5 p. plus annexes.

UNDP, Call for Proposals for Minefield Technical Surveying under the Government of Sri

Lanka‟s Strategy for Mine Action as directed in Annex 4, 17 April 2006, 38 p.

UNDP Landmine and UXO Safety Handbook.

UNDP Support to Mine Action Project in Sri Lanka, First Quarterly Report, 1 January-31

March 2005, 10 p.

UNDP Support to Mine Action Project in Sri Lanka, Second Quarterly Report, 1 April-30

June 2005, 9 p.

UNDP Support to Mine Action Project in Sri Lanka, Third Quarterly Report, 1 July-31

September 2005, 11 p.

UNDP Support to Mine Action Project in Sri Lanka, Fourth Quarterly Report, 1 October-31

December 2005, 9 p.

UNHCR Statistical Summary Refugees and Internally Displaced Repatriation and Returns to

and within Sri Lanka 11p. March 2006

UN Humanitarian Information Centre for Sri Lanka(HIC), Contact Directory, Version 4.4

05/02/2006. 271 p.

UNICEF, Mine Risk Education Programme in Sri Lanka A Formative Evaluation, April

2004, 79p.

UNICEF, Mine/UXO Risk Education Situation Analysis, Trincomalee 8-10 May 2006, 13 p.



D. Field Visits

Observation Report by A.A. Edward – National Consultant

Member of the impact and performance Assessment Team

Visit to DDG Office – 14.05.2006

Visit to Danish De-mining group (D.D.G) office, one of the de-mining organizations working

in Jaffna District. They are engaged with manual clearing with locally recruited 338

personnel.

Visit to “Halo Trust” Office: 14.05.2006

This organization works with 02 full time expatriates with 363 locally recruited personnel.

Most of the de-mining by halo Trust is done with mechanical support.

According to the statistics available, the Halo Trust is provided with 124 tasks out of which

they have completed 69 and 02 suspended. On the whole their performance is good but the

progress is very slow due to various reasons like political, climatic & delay in materials

supply.

Visit to S.L.A. Mine action office at Palaly (15.05.2006)

The Sri Lankan army mine action activities are funded by U.S. state Dept. Quick reaction

task force. (RONCO QRT) The coordinator of the SLA mine action office said that initially

the S.L.A. started the military de-mining in the year 2001 and in September 2003 they started

the Humanitarian de-mining activities with 19 tasks completing 02 and suspended 17. They

have 300 trained personnel in mine action but they do not engage all because of the defense

requirement and other problems erupts time to time.

Thampalai Village

The evaluation team visited the Humanitarian de-mining activity for temp relocation of 300

displaced families in Thampalai village. The task is assigned to S.L.A. mine action office.

The I.O.M. is assisting to construct the temporary shelter in the de-mined area at Thampalai.

The total 25ha earmarked for the establishment of 300 shelters the de-mining has been

completed only on 4.7 ha up to now.

Urumpirai village

The people of this village went in for resettlement immediately after the M.O.U. without

considering the dangers of mines planted by the S.L.A. during the combat. The Halo trust is

assigned with the de-mining task of this area is adopting the manual methods as the area is

contaminated with mostly the A.P. mines while on our visit the de-miners who on work

removed 02 A.P. mines which is hidden in the subsoil.

Vatharawattai village

This is a vast area covered with large extent of fallow lands. This area was one of the

L.T.T.E. and S.L.A. combat ground during the 2001 confrontation. The survey and the de-

mining activities are carried out by Hallo trust with mechanical support. The area is depicted



by different coloured stakes / pecks to demarcate the area cleared and not cleared with sign

boards.

Pommai Veli

This location is adjacent to the Jaffna town limit. The de-mining activities in this area are

carried out with mechanical support by the Halo trust organization. The demand for

resettlement is area is very high for the reasons that most of the Muslim population who were

displaced in 1990 have shown their willingness to come back for resettlement. I am also

made to understand that most of them very often visit mine action office Jaffna and Govt.

Agent requesting for early re-settlement in their places of origin.

Visit to UNICEF office in Jaffna

The mine risk education (M.R.E) is the most vital and important phenomenon to convince the

people to get to know the types of mines and how to save them from the blast and preventive

measures that has to be adopted in the mines contaminated areas etc. The UNICEF has

undertaken this risk education through various local NGOO like White Pigeon, Sarvodaya,

Jaipur Foot, Family Rehabilitation Centre (FRC). In addition to the educational programme,

the UNICEF implemented programmes through their implementing agencies to help the mine

affected Victims by way of formulating livelihood assistance and income generating projects

and psycho-social counseling activities.

The coordinator while discussing said that due to M.R.E. conducted by the UNICEF through

the implementing partners, more than 90% of the Jaffna population are well aware of the

types of mines and the precautionary methods to be taken while negotiating a mine field area.

He also said the mine accident cases from 2001 to 2005 have been reduced from 90 victims

per year to 17.

Govt. Agent – Jaffna

The Govt. Agent Jaffna M.K. Ganesh observed that most of the land mines in Jaffna District

were laid by both S.L.A. and L.T.T.E. The conflict has affected all most all families and

households. Due to this conflict about 762,500 people were displaced since 1990. He also

said that the D.D.G. The Halo trust and Sri Lankan army has cleared 8,264,500m2 from 2002

up to now. The identified mine fields are 322 out of which 129 mine fields are cleared and 98

are ongoing and the balance 95 are outstanding. The mined area‟s still to be cleared is

27,000,000m2. There are 13 HSZ areas which has affected 17,000 families who are unable to

return to their places of origin. This task cannot be completed within the time frame of 2006

and he requested the period be extended for at least another two years.

Visit to Kilinochchi – 16.05.2006

The mine action regional office at Kilinochchi covers the District of Kilinochchi, Mannar and

Mullaitheevu. The mine action office is located in a private building at Karadipokku Junction

in Kilinochchi. There are four international de-mining organizations working in this region:

MAG, DDG, FSD, and NPA. The scattered mine fields are identified in 72 villages in Vanni

area out of which the areas required for resettlement in 40 villages have been taken up for de-

mining and the works are ongoing. The officer in charge of the RMAO said there was a



steady progress up to September 2005 and the works became slow after November 2005 due

to security situation.

The mobility of their men is restricted due to the restriction of fuel supply for their vehicles.

The T.R.O. which is the umbrella organization which deals with resettlement and

development decides with the priority and convene the monthly progress review meetings on

de-mining activities.

Visit to T.R.O. Office Kilinochchi

One of the Directors of the T.R.O. development activities met with us said that the mine

action activities are well organized and implemented. Demining organizations have recruited

850 employees from the local population and the works are carried according to the number

of tasks assigned to them. He also said that the displacement is not static because the

population from Jaffna, Vavuniya moves to Kilinochchi when there are threats from the

S.L.A. or from the other groups. He also said that their organization plans to resettle about

300,000 families in both Kilinochchi and Jaffna Districts for which they need mine-free land

for both resettlement and new settlement, further, he expressed the view that the time frame

to this project to be extended for another 02 years. He stressed the need to build up the

capacity of the local population on the de-mining techniques as this is lacking at the moment,

though they have the ability to build up and enhance their knowledge on mine action.

Visit to the office of the Govt. Agent, Kilinochchi

At the outset, the govt. agent appreciated the de-mining activities of the International

organizations and the HDU which have undertaken areas demarcated for resettlement for de-

mining. Out of the 813 families displaced from the HSZ, 103 families have been relocated in

the mine-free area handed over by the H.D.U. He also expressed his satisfaction on the

M.R.E. programme and said that they are very well organized by the UNICEF through white

pigeon organization and other local NGOs. They have displayed very attractive bill boards

and signboards depicting the dangers of the bad effects of the mines of all types. He said that

there are 7000 displaced families in Kilinochchi District awaiting resettlement / relocation.

He need at least 10,000 ha of mine free lands for alienating at least 1/2Ac of land for each

family for dwelling and home gardening to give a jump start for a normal life of these

affected families.

Visit to Norwegian Peoples Aid Office (NPA)

The N.P.A is implementing their project with H.D.U. The area cleared up to date is 8444803

sqm and number of UXO removed is 92342 and A.P. mines 112690. Forty female deminers

from the HDU work with the NNPA. team in Kilinochchi, as expressed by one of the de-

miner, the weight of the heavy protection cover and the scorching sun beating down on the

shoulders of de-miners is a real hazard to the mine clearance work. This situation naturally

slowed down the progress.

Visit to UNHCR office at Kilinochchi

The head of field office Mr. Marin Din Kajdomcaj said that UNHCR supports the

resettlement process as the displacement and protection of IDPs are all within their mandate.

The organizations like TRRO, JSAC working in areas where the IDP‟s have returned to their



place of origin and the areas where the IDPs remain in welfare centres. He also said that the

resettlement in a mine free land is not possible unless a meaningful peace and reconciliation

is achieved in Sri Lanka.

Visit to UNICEF Office

The coordinator of the UNICEF Kilinochchi District while explaining the MRE activities said

that they have organized 11 coordinating centres in Kilinochchi District with 33 M.R.E

volunteers who visits the mine victims every other day, give psycho- social counseling and

livelihood assistance through other donor agencies. They have identified 991 disabled

including polio, mine victims and other victims of road accidents etc. They have been

assisted by providing Tricycles, clutches walkers etc with UNICEF funding. The organization

called KAROD (Kilinochchi Association for Rehabilitation organization for Disabled) assists

the M.R.E. by street dramas, community discussion and displaying bill boards on

conspicuous places along A-9 road. While returning to Vavuniya we wore able to visit one of

the MRE centre at Mankulam and were able to see some bill boards placed along the A-9

road depicting the dangers of mines.

Visit to M.A.O Vavuniya

The District mine action officer briefed us on the functions of the M.A.O. Vavuniya. He said

that this office covers 05 Districts Vavuniya, Mannar in the North and 03 Eastern Districts of

Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara. The border Districts of Anuradhapura, Puttalam and

Pollanuwa are included only for M.R.E. works because most of the people displaced from the

Northern Districts are living in these border villages and when situation becomes conducive

for resettlement M.R.E. is necessary for this population when they return back. He also said

that he faces three major constraints while implementing the mine action programme.

1. No proper records available on dangerous mine field areas.

2. No clear demarcation of boundaries between G.O.S.L. and L.T.T.E area (Specially in

the East)

3. No precisely demarcated H.S.Z. areas.

It is also stressed at the discussion that the services of a liaison officer to coordinate between

the M.A.O, Govt. Agent, S.L.A and L.T.T.E / T.R.O is imperative as this would help to

expedite the de-mining activities with clear vision and understanding with all parties without

any hindrance.

Govt. Agent – Vavuniya:

He expressed the view that all International Organization engaged in the de-mining activities

in Vavuniya are remarkably performing their tasks but due to the volatile situation prevailing

from November 2005, the de-mining activities has become a standstill due to security

reasons. He said that there are about 65,000 acres of land falling within the H.S.Z and 1800

families are living in welfare centres and another 8000families are living with friends and

relatives, out this about 30% to 40% are willing to go back to their places of origin from other

Districts from where they were displaced. He sited an example where he made arrangements

to re-settle 1000 families in 04 villages out of which 03 have already been de-mined with the

approval of the steering committee and security clearance and in the fourth village the de-



mining is ongoing. However, the security forces have suspended the resettlement programme

although approved stating that the action is due to some security reasons. He is also of the

view that after spending lot of money, materials and human resource for de-mining, the

ultimate target of re-settlement is not possible due to the decisions at the security level. He

also pointed out that the slow progress in capacity building and lack of training to the national

staff is one of the weaknesses he observed and recommended that this project of de-mining

process has to be extended until we reach a situation to achieve the target of having a mine

free land for re-settlement.

Field visit to the de-mining field at Olimadhu / Paranda Kallu by SARVATRA – the

Indian De-mining Organization

This project is implemented under a technical consultant a Ret‟d. Brigadier of Indian Army

with 33 local de-miners and 07 Indian personnel. He said they came in 2003 and up to now

they have cleared 1,010603 sq metres. They adopt manual method after making the path

cleared by loosening the subsoil with light Indian-made machinery. A demonstration was

shown on how the light machines are used for cleaning the scrub jungle and loosening the

soil for easy racheing, by the de-miners to find the mines planted in the soil. The Technical

consultant confirmed the local de-miners are very well trained and they have the necessary

capacity to develop their ability provided if they are given the necessary opportunity to

develop further on the technical side either in Sri Lanka or abroad.

Visit to UNICEF Office (Vavuniya)

The MRE in Vavuniya, Mannar and border Districts of Puttalam and Anuradhapura is

handled by the District Coordinator attached to M.A. Office but he has established his office

in UNICEF building. The MRE is implemented through 03 local NGOs: Community Trust

Fund (CTF), Valvuthayam (funded by Caritas International) and ORHAN.. The District

Coordinator while discussing said that under the UNDP funds through UNICEF has trained

250 Master Teachers with the concurrence of NIE (National Institute of Education) an

official organization of the Dept. of Education. These Masters Teachers impart their MRE

programme to the students through the curriculum prepared and distributed to the teachers.

He also said that there are 23 mine victims in Vavuniya and they are assisted with livelihood

programmes through the local implementing NGOO partners. It is also noted by the

evaluation team that though there are programmes planned and implemented has no written

evidence for monitoring or feed back to confirm these programme have gone to the people

who are in need of this risk education.

Visit to UNHCR Office ( Vavuniya)

The Head of UNHCR Sub-Office Vavuniya explained the UNHCR functions and mandate

and the overall UN activities towards Peace and Reconciliation to resettle the IDPs in their

places of origin from where they were displaced.. She also expressed her view to continue the

de-mining activities until the displaced are resettled back to their places of origin.

Field visit to the mine field at the 6th

mile post along Trincomalee Vavuniya road by

DDG ( Danish De-mining group)



The team leader with 34 miners under DDG is working in this project. He said that they were

tasked with 02 areas and they have completed the 277-A task, and 277-B is ongoing. Out of

the 72 days of commencing this work they were able to work for 62 completing 7878 sq m

recovering only 01 mine. For 10 days they could not work due to Hartal strikes, security

problems and the safety of the de-miners. There were no casualties except a cow sustained

injuries due to the explosion of an A.P. mine. The team leader who was explaining their

activities said that they do not have a permanent technical Advisor from 2004 and one

expatriate cover from Jaffna DDG office. He also said that all task related to Trincomalee are

attended by the local staff who has built up their capacities to implement any de-mining

project by themselves.

Govt. Agent Trincomalee:

The Govt. Agent expressed his view that for an effective implementation of the resettlement

programmes some mine-free land areas have to be found for the safety of the resettle

population. He also said that though the de-mining programmes are ongoing but it is a very

slow process and the way it is progressing he doubts whether the project could be completed

as planned in 2006. Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara Districts are now covered by the

Vavuniya MA Office and the area is very large. The Govt. Agent suggested to establish a

mine action office at Trincomalee to cover Batticaloe & Amparai and he is prepared to

arrange a place in Trincomalee Kachcheri premises to house the Mine Action office. He also

stressed to extend the period for another one or two years depending on the Security situation

of this District as this is an immediate need for resettlement.

Conclusion Remarks

The affected communities and the government officials have to ensure the sustainability of

de-mining process in the identified dangerous area / mined villages. As a national consultant,

I express my deep appreciation and gratitude on the performance and the pain taken by the

UNDP experts, International de-mining organizations, Sri Lankan officers and supporting

staff who are directly involved in the implementation of the de-mining programme in the 08

Districts of North East provinces. In this circumstance there were many unpredictable social

and Political incidents took place in and out of the vulnerable areas of the mine affected

villages, the sudden change on decision due to security reasons, the inclement climatic

conditions and other interruptions while on implementing the project. As I being one of the

national team member it is confirmed that without their patience and dedication the project

could not have proceeded up to now.

Further, it is confirmed without any division that the UNDP the international de-mining

organizations and national staff were successful in implementing this strenuous process for

the last 03 years within many disturbances. However, because of this remarkable feature, it is

accepted that it has widely achieved the immediate impact on resettlement though not fully

but at least to a great extent.

Recommendations:



Although there is a successful implementation mentioned above, I wish to draws the

following recommendation to expedite the further progress on this progress.

1. Adopting an effective mechanism to expedite the authorization of S.L.A clearance by

a single person or a body to make definite decision.

2. Development of the National capacity on clearance, survey, marking, information

management, stockpile destruction, M.R.E and operational training etc.

3. Providing additional training to Nationals either in Sri Lanka or abroad on

coordination, Management and technical support on field operations.

4. To extend the mine action programme as per request made by all Govt. Agents in the

Northern Districts and Trincomalee for further period according to the need and

requirement of each District and should not go beyond year 2008.

5. The parties in conflict should adopt wider implications on a sustainable peace process

for a meaningful resettlement of the displaced population.

E. Revised Results Framework

See attachment.



F. Revised Logframes

UNDP SUPPORT TO MINE ACTION PROGRAMME SRI LANKA: Proposed Logical Framework Document for 2006-2008 Intervention Logic Objectively Verifiable Indicators Sources of verification Assumptions

Vision Assist Sri Lanka to become

„mine impact free‟ by the

end of 2008, and develop it

Mine Action Office to take

over from the UNDP Project

Sri Lanka mine impact free.

No further international assistance required, as

national capacity is sufficient.

Performance against

works plan

Stakeholder feedback

Internal Quality

Management procedures

Independent Quality

Audits

Security situation remains

sufficiently stable to allow

continued mine action

activities

Government continues to

desire UNDP support

Relationships strengthened

and clarified between

Ministry of Nation Building

and Development, UNDP

Country Office and UNDP

MAP

Resources available

Technical survey confirm

feasibility of forecast end

dates

Objectives 1.Assist in preparation for

sustainability

Assist Ministry in recruitment of National Mine

Action Officer, to begin NMAO for handover from

UNDPProject

2. Assist in planning and

resource mobilisation for

short term assistance

Provision of assistance in the development of a

quantitative and objective strategic plan that will

allow the appropriate resources to be mobilised

3. Conduct monitoring

duties on behalf of

stakeholders

Monitoring conducted in line with donor

requirements and able to provide independent

confirmation of ongoing needs and progress

4. Assist in capacity

development through the

conduct short term

workshops.

Project Office and NMAO and RMAO staff

capacity developed to allow local staff to carry

out all functions without international

intervention

Activities Objectively verifiable Indicators

Sustainability Identify requirements for long term residual capacity in National Mine Action

Office

Calculate and mobilise resource requirements

Initiate train and equip projects

Requirements identified

Train and equip projects completed successfully

Short Term

Assistance

Facilitate short term mine action assistance by implementing agencies


Resources mobilised

Suitable quantity of short term assistance undertaken

Monitoring Establish monitoring capacity

Undertake monitoring

Provide formal annual report to stakeholders

Monitoring capacity established Monitoring undertaken

Reporting provided

Capacity

Development Identify capacity development needs

Mobilise Resources

Conduct capacity development workshops

Capacity development needs formalised

Resources mobilised

Capacity development workshops conducted



Skills shortfalls addressed

UNDP SUPPORT TO MINE ACTION PROGRAMME SRI LANKA: Proposed Logical Framework Document for 2006 onwards

(In circumstances of collapse of current ceasefire agreement) Intervention Logic Objectively Verifiable Indicators Sources of verification Assumptions


„mine impact free‟ after the

establishment of peace


No further international assistance required. Performance against

works plan


Internal Quality

Management procedures

Independent Quality

Audits

Continued monitoring of

security situation in order

to begin resumption of

main activities

Security situation too

instable to allow continued

mine action activities

Government continues to

desire UNDP support

Relationships strengthened

and clarified between

Ministry of Nation Building

and Development, UNDP

Country Office and UNDP

MAP

Resources available

Objectives 1.Maintain database and

record of clearance

IMSMA database maintained

Any additional clearance records included

2. Prepare plan for landmine

impact survey to measure

contamination after end of

hostilities

Landmine impact survey plan prepared

Potential donors identified



short term assistance in

accessible areas where mine

action is possible

Plans developed in remaining accessible areas

Assistance provided for resource mobilisation

4. Conduct monitoring

duties on behalf of

stakeholders

Monitoring conducted in accessible areas

5. Continue with on the job

training of local staff

Training of local staff


Sustainability Maintain database

Prepare for landmine impact survey (LIS) at the ending of hostilities

Database maintained

LIS resource requirements calculated and mobilised

Short Term

Assistance Mobilise resources for activities in accessible areas


Resources mobilised


Monitoring Undertake monitoring


Monitoring undertaken

Reporting provided

Capacity

Development Continue with capacity development of local staff for National and field offices

Be prepared to conduct needs assessment at the ending of hostilities

On the job training for local staff continued



UNDP SUPPORT TO MINE ACTION PROGRAMME SRI LANKA: Proposed Logical Framework Document for 2006 onwards

(In circumstances of a comprehensive peace settlement) Intervention Logic Objectively Verifiable Indicators Sources of verification Assumptions


„mine impact free‟


No further international assistance required. Performance against

works plan


Internal Quality

Management

procedures

Independent Quality

Audits

Comprehensive peace settlement

Government continues to desire

UNDP support

Relationships strengthened and

clarified between Ministry of

Nation Building and

Development, UNDP Country

Office and UNDP MAP

Resources available

Technical survey confirm

feasibility of forecast end dates

Objectives 1.Assist in preparation for

sustainability Facilitate the future conduct of mine action in Sri

Lanka without future international assistance



short term assistance

Provision of assistance in the development of a

quantitative and objective strategic plan that will

allow the appropriate resources to be scoped and

mobilised

3. Conduct monitoring duties

for stakeholders Monitoring conducted to provide independent

confirmation of ongoing needs and progress

4. Assist in capacity

development short term

workshops.

Project Office and RMAO staff capacity

developed to allow local staff to carry out all

functions without international intervention


Sustainability Identify requirements for establishment of National Mine Action office and field

offices

Calculated and mobilise resource requirements

Initiate train and equip projects


Resource requirements calculated and mobilised

Train and equip projects completed successfully

Short Term

Assistance

Facilitate Landmine impact survey (LIS) of High Security Zones(HSZ)

Mobilise Resources



LIS of HSZ conducted

Resources mobilised


Monitoring Establish monitoring capacity

Undertake monitoring


Monitoring capacity established Monitoring undertaken

Reporting provided

Capacity

Development Identify capacity development needs of National and field offices

Mobilise Resources

Conduct capacity development workshops

Capacity development needs formalised

Resources mobilised

Capacity development workshops conducted

Skills shortfalls addressed

UNDP Sri Lanka Support to Mine Action Programme in Sri Lanka Project

Impact and Performance Assessment, June 2006

47

G. Terms of Reference

Impact and Performance Assessment, UNDP Support to Mine Action Programme, Sri

Lanka

1. Background

The “Support to Mine Action Programme” (MAP) is a directly executed (DEX) project of

UNDP Sri Lanka that was started through a preparatory assistance phase in 2002. The project

was designed as a coordination mechanism to directly support the national Mine Action

Programme in Sri Lanka under the leadership of the National Steering Committee for Mine

Action (NSCMA), and build capacities at the national and regional levels to establish

nationally-managed mine action offices. The overall and intended outcomes of the project as

formulated in the project document as per Results and Resources Framework read as follows

Increased livelihood opportunities in affected communities and thereby reduce the

disconnect between relief and development - The project aims to support significant

progress towards Sri Lanka’s stated goal of making the country free from the effect of mines

and UXO by the end of 2006.

The intended outputs specified in the Results and Resources framework focus on

1) Capacity Building: Strengthen the national capacity to plan, manage and execute

humanitarian Mine Action activities

2) Support to Mine Action Operations: Provide support to Mine Action implementing

agencies to conduct mine action activities

3) Resource Mobilisation and Advocacy: Continue and improve a partnership and resources

mobilization strategy to support coordination of the implementation of the Sri Lankan Mine

Action Programme and for mine action operators

The project works through the head office in Colombo and three regional offices in Jaffna,

Killinochchi and Vavuniya, being co-located in the Government Agent‟s offices in Jaffna and

Vavuniya, and collaborating with the Tamil Relief Organisation (TRO) in Kilinochchi. The

regional coverage of the offices is as follows

MAO Jaffna: Jaffna district

MAO Killinochchi: Killinochchi, Mannar, and Mullaitivu

MAO Vavuniya: Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Ampara



48

2. Objective of the Impact/ Performance Assessment

The project document lays out a three-year project cycle, based on the national timeline to

free the country from the effects of mine by the end of 2006, and aims at establishing national

capacities to carry-on with mine action coordination beyond 2006. At present, with a fully

functional coordination structure at the district levels, the UNDP Support project needs to

assess achievements made so far against the intended outputs specified above, evaluate its

strengths and weaknesses and lay out a strategy for their support in 2006 and beyond,

including the formulation of an exit strategy. In view of its central role in coordinating mine

action operators in the country, the project further needs to assess the impact it had on

advancing the National Mine Action Programme, on the one hand, and the resettlement and

creation of livelihoods for communities, on the other.

With the drafting of a National Strategy on Mine Action in December 2005, a central

coordination tool for mine action activities in Sri Lanka is now available, to which the

ongoing coordination activities of the project need to be aligned. In view of the ultimate

objective to transfer the project structure to a government office (DEX to NEX), capacities

available at the national level need to be assessed to define focus areas for the project‟s 2006

activities, and, if required, beyond.

In light of the above, the mission will be expected to review the impact and the lessons learnt

from the project to inform programmatic directions of a possible future intervention in this

area. The assessment encompasses the following specific tasks:

1) To provide a brief analysis of the initial project design in terms of its relevance and

scope in supporting the National Mine Action Programme and establishing national

capacities for the coordination of mine action activities

2) To review and assess the impact and relevance of the UNDP Support project,

including an analysis of its results against the set outcomes, outputs and targets as

well as the costs

3) To review and assess performance and effectiveness of national and field level

support systems and provide recommendations on roles/ functions, structures and

organizational arrangements.

4) To assess the efforts and provide recommendations on results of resources

mobilization in support of the National Mine Action Programme

5) Assess internal and external monitoring tools and activities currently employed by the

UNDP Support project at different levels (including district workplans, field

monitoring visits, etc.), in order to suggest relevant tools and frameworks that can

guide monitoring activities in 2006 and beyond

6) Propose options to consolidate the gains of the UNDP Support project and develop a

programme strategy beyond 2006, including the specific identification of

programmatic opportunities based on the analysis described above and suggest

recommendations for gradual shift to NEX modality.



49

3. Scope and Methodology

The assessment should focus on the period between 28 August 2003 and 31 December 2005

and should generally meet international methodological standards, including the „Standards

for Evaluations in the United Nations System‟. To the extent possible, the assessment should

adopt a participatory approach, with special emphasis on discussions with the national and

local governments, partner agencies, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders collaborating

with/or targeted by the project. In carrying out the assessment the mission will:

1. Review all key documents relevant to the UNDP Support project, including the

project document, the progress review report established in March 2005 and covering

the period from July 2004 to March 2005, as well as the SLNSMAS and the National

Strategy on Mine Action.

2. Conduct interviews with key stakeholders in Colombo. In the first week of the

Mission, the Team will hold meetings with the Ministry for Nation-building and

Development and the External Resources Department, the Colombo-based project

office, UNDP/CO, key donor partners to the programme and other UN agencies as

appropriate.

3. The Assessment Team will conduct field visits at district levels in Jaffna, Kilinochchi,

Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa to consult local authorities and key

stakeholders to the programme including the following: District Secretariats and

technical departments, implementing partners at local levels including international

and national NGOs, and community leaders.

4. The Assessment Team will present the initial findings and key recommendations at a

debriefing meeting with the UNDP Support project, the UNDP Country Office and

Government. The final report shall be submitted by the team further to the meeting

incorporating comments from stakeholders.

4. Expected outputs

An Inception Report within one week of the commencement of the assignment,

outlining the assessment team‟s operationalisation of the TOR, detailing any proposed

modifications; work plan including a timetable, schedule of field visits, interviews

and discussions; and outline of the mission report. The inception report will include a

description of the stakeholders, as well as the methodology and analytical framework

that will be used to complete the assessment.

A final report containing the following elements:

1) An succinct analysis/ assessment of the project in view of results achieved against

outputs set out in the project document, and lessons learned

2) A programme strategy for the next phase of a UNDP Support to Mine Action

Programme beyond 2006 which reflects on the programmatic opportunities that

have arisen from the work conducted so far, on the one hand, and the political

environment, on the other

3) Recommendations on

i. project work processes, staffing and management



50

ii. communication strategy, enabling appropriate, timely reporting and

information sharing with relevant partners

iii. partnership strategy, exploring UNDP‟s comparative advantages in

coordinating support to field operations.

4) An outline for a next phase project document for consultation with the government

including Results and Resource Framework

5. Assessment Team – Composition, Qualifications and Requirements

The Team shall be composed of two international consultants, and one national.

consultant led by a team member recruited as the Team Leader.

International Consultant- Team Leader

Qualifications & experience required:

Extensive international experience in leading and managing development assistance

Experience in project assessment/evaluation and project formulation/design

Experience in organizational development

Strong background in development support with a special focus on implementation and management in post-conflict and transitional environments

Knowledge of and familiarity with impact and performance assessment methodologies

Knowledge of UNDP M&E policies.

Responsibilities of the Team Leader:

Overall planning, programming and coordination of the work of the Team in close consultation with UNDP & the project office in Colombo;

Division of work between team members in order to utilize capacity and expertise in the most efficient way;

Coordination of reports and the quality of reporting;

Distribution of relevant documentation and reports to other members of the Team.

The other member(s) of the team shall have a combination of the following skills and

substantive experience:

a. The Sri Lankan context

b. Programme Management

c. Mine Action

d. Peace and Reconciliation

International Consultant – Mine Action




51

Mine Action technical resource person

Experience with programme development, programme management and project

implementation in mine action

Thorough knowledge of - and experience with - UNDP M&E policies

Strong drafting and analytical skills

Experience in project impact assessments, with a specific focus on capacity-building and development coordination

National Consultant


Substantive expertise in the field of development and peace

Experience with programme development and project implementation

Experience with assessment methodologies

Experience with social science research

Proficiency in Tamil and Sinhala preferred on complementary basis

6. Timetable of the mission

The timeframe of the assessment shall be approximately 2-3 weeks starting on 03 April 2006.

A debriefing at the end of the in-country mission will be organized with participation from

the CO, the project office in Colombo and Government (External Resource

Department/Ministry of Finance and Planning; Ministry for Nation-building and

Development) to provide a forum for presentation of initial findings. The draft mission report

and draft revised project document shall be submitted prior to the debriefing meeting. The

final mission report and revised project document incorporating comments received at the

debriefing will be made available within 14 days after completion of the in-country mission.

spear guidelines for idps

Education

support project

project design

project implementation

undp project involvement

revised project strategy

undp sri lanka support

swot analysis

sri lanka projectimpact