1.4 CIDA Funding and Co-operation with CMAC

The project has been authorised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Government of Canada and the Royal Government of Cambodia. The MOU establishes CIDA and CMAC as the entities that will undertake the project. In designating CMAC the MOU states, “Should the mandate of CMAC change during the life of the project such that responsibility for this project would no longer reasonably fall within CMAC’s mandate, the RGOC will designate another authority with a mandate more consistent with the intent of this project”.1 Establishment of the Cambodia Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) caused this article to be invoked through an exchange of letters late in 2001 that reads in part,

"The Embassy of Canada in Phnom Penh ... acknowledges receipt of note no. 2515 ECD/MFAIC dated 06 November 2001 requesting a change in the Memorandum of Understanding ... the Embassy recognizes that the RGC counterpart for receiving the Level 1 Survey database will now be the CMAA ..."

The agreement between CIDA and CMAC detailing the working arrangements between the agencies and the CEA is contained in Annex A of the MOU. The Terms of Reference for the CEA are described in in Annex B of the MOU.

Key provisions of the MOU relate to contributions to be provided by Canada and the RGOC.

• CIDA agrees to appoint and fund a CEA with responsibility for all facets of the project.
• RGOC agrees to provide access to personnel currently working for CMAC, and to provide a specified list of material.

During the inception mission the team established a continuing dialogue with CMAC and Director General Khem Sophaon nominated the Director of Planning to be the key contact. During the life of the L1S project there have been three Directors with each of whom the CEA has enjoyed excellent relations. They are:

• Mr. Oun San Onn
• Mr. Heng Rattana
• Mr. Tong Try

Throughout the life of the project there have been at least monthly meetings held between CEA management and CMAC management. As necessary these meetings were more frequent and many minor issues have been discussed in one to one meetings between responsible officers of the organisations. See Relations with CMAA and CMAC

Personnel Assignments:

Procedures used for selecting CMAC personnel for training and assignment in the survey are described fully in section 3.1 - Selection of Surveyors. In this introduction we wish to record that CMAC permitted us to select from the entire staff complement of all five Demining Units (DUs). In consultation with senior CMAC staff a process was developed that helped us in this selection process and helped us avoid any suspicion of bias for any reason. We wish to thank CMAC for its assistance throughout this process.

Later in the survey, when we needed replacements for certain surveyors for reasons of sickness and discipline, CMAC provided us replacements in a timely manner from the reserve of trained surveyors we had established. Returned surveyors were reintegrated by CMAC.

Unfortunately at the completion of the survey CMAC found itself in severe financial difficulties and was unable to honour its commitment to, “re-deploy all CMAC staff provided to the project in positions and salaries equal to or better than the original position at time of deployment”. The CEA has created a new CV for each surveyor with a description of training received and duties provided to the L1S Project and has contacted a number of agencies in Cambodia to make it known that these well trained staff are available.

Material Contribution:

As CMAC had previously been conducting a L1S on a small scale and had surplus field equipment available, through the MOU the RGOC agreed to provide some of the equipment necessary for the survey. This included: nine four-wheel drive pick-up trucks, twenty two hand held GPS units, eight Codan high-frequency radios and a base station, sixteen cameras, compasses, binoculars and motor-cycle helmets. In addition numerous small items were provided.

Provision of these items by CMAC has meant significant savings to the Project. The trucks required extensive servicing when they were received from CMAC and have subsequently been heavily used by the Project and well maintained. All these materials, and all additional materials including the motorcycles, purchased by the CEA were returned to CMAC at the completion of the project. In total the CEA purchased 51 motorcycles and has supplied all of them to CMAC.

Later in the project it became evident that certain hardware items obtained by CMAC from JICA were underused at the CMAC headquarters building and were in fact deteriorating. After some discussion it was agreed to make these items (an A0 plotter and a scanner) available to the CEA who would move them to the L1S project office, refurbish them and make them available for use by CMAC as required. This arrangement has worked extremely well with savings to both the project and to CMAC.

Generally the collaborative arrangements between the CEA and CMAC have worked extremely well with considerable efficiencies achieved by both the L1S Project and CMAC.

Level One surveyors (white uniforms) and CMAC deminers (blue uniforms)
on parade at Mine Awareness day 2002, Battambang.