Background

Yemen was the first country selected for Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) by the United Nations (UN). Following a formal request from the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the Survey Action Center (SAC) conducted an Advanced Survey Mission (ASM) in late 1998. The ASM re-confirmed the need for a survey in Yemen and SAC developed a country plan.

Funding

Funding was provided by the governments of Canada, Japan, Germany, the United States of America, and the United Nations Foundation (UNF).

Implementing Organization

SAC sub-contracted the Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA), a member of the Survey Working Group (SWG), to implement the Landmine Impact Survey in Yemen. MCPA is the largest mine action non-governmental organization (NGO) in the world dedicated soley to landmine survey.

Quality Assurance

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) provided the Quality Assurance Monitor (QAM).

The Field Survey Team

Operational Status

The Landmine Impact Survey in Yemen was initiated on 12 July 1999 when a formal agreement was signed between the Government of Yemen and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). MCPA expatriate staff arrived in August and began to establish facilities, coordinate training and survey preparations, and hire and train local staff.

Enumerators were recruited, and a four-week training program was conducted in November. Pre-test results informed the preparations for the Pilot Survey and village level data collection. The Pilot Survey was conducted from late January until mid-February 2000. No problems were identified with the survey methodology, though a need was identified for increased time for false negative locality sampling. Village level data collection began in March and completed on 7 June 2000.

The Survey was completed on-time and under-budget. In July the government signed off on the draft Survey Report, and in August the Yemen Survey was certified by the United Nations Certification Committee chaired by UNMAS. In response to a request by Yemeni national authorities, SAC, MCPA and Cranfield University of the United Kingdom conducted a Survey Utilization Project in Yemen in order to train national personnel regarding survey data utilization, and to develop a national mine action works plan.

More Information

For more information about the Yemen Survey feel free to contact us.