Key developments since May 2005: In April 2006 the parliament adopted
national implementation legislation. Albania revealed that it possesses
antivehicle mines with breakwires and that it plans to destroy them.
DanChurchAid demined and released 1.38 square kilometers of mine-affected land
in northeast Albania in 2005, where mine risk education continued. Most
casualties occurred in a different part of the country, caused by explosive
remnants of war. In 2005, 23 new casualties were recorded; only two casualties
were in the northeast.
Mine Ban Policy
The Republic of Albania signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 8 September 1998,
ratified it on 29 February 2000 and became a State Party on 1 August 2000. Law
No. 8547 of 11 November 1999 and Decision 269 of 25 May 2000 gave legal force to
the treaty in Albania, but did not include penal
sanctions.[1] On 18 April 2006,
parliament approved Law No. 9515, The Implementation of the Convention on the
Ban of Use, Storage, Production and Transfer of the Antipersonnel Mines and
their Destruction.[2] The President
signed the Decree for Promulgation of the Law, Decree 4857, on 10 May 2006.
Article 8 of the law prohibits development, production, stockpiling, transfer,
and use of antipersonnel mines, as well as assistance with prohibited
acts.[3] Article 9 states that when
non-compliant actions are not criminal offenses under Articles 278 and 278/a of
the Penal Code, they are considered administrative violations and penalized with
a fine from 100,000 to 300,000 Leke (US$1,089 to
$3,268).[4] For criminal offenses,
Article 278 of the Penal Code imposes penalties of up to 20
years.[5]
In March 2006, a draft law on mine action was submitted for interministerial
consultations, after which it will be submitted to the Council of Ministers for
approval. The legislation was prepared with the assistance of the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Geneva International Centre for
Humanitarian Demining (GICHD).[6]
Albania submitted its annual Article 7 transparency report on 27 March 2006,
covering calendar year 2005. It includes voluntary Form J, and provides details
of progress in mine risk education and survivor assistance programs during 2005.
Albania has submitted four Article 7 reports
previously.[7]
Albania attended the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb, Croatia in
November-December 2005, where it made statements on its mine clearance and
victim assistance programs. Albania also attended the intersessional Standing
Committee meetings in June 2005 and May 2006, where it again made statements on
mine clearance and victim assistance.
In April 2006, Albania responded to a request from Landmine Monitor to share
its views on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1,
2 and 3. With regard to Article 1, Albania “prohibits transfer of
anti-personnel mines in its territory and foreign stockpiling in Albania of the
anti-personnel mines. In addition, during joint military operations with State
and Non-State Parties, Albania does not use and is not engaged in the use or
transport of the anti-personnel
mines.”[8]
As to Article 2, Albania for the first time stated that it possesses
antivehicle mines with breakwires and noted that “there are actually plans
for their destruction and these mines are also currently used during the
disposal of the old ammunition.”[9] The ICBL and many States Parties believe that antivehicle mines with
sensitive fuzes such as breakwires meet the definition of an antipersonnel mine
in the Mine Ban Treaty and are therefore prohibited. Albania said that
“this issue should be discussed during the next intersessional meeting in
order to have clear definitions of antipersonnel mines and antivehicle mines
etc.” Albania also said, regarding Claymore-type mines, it “has
never (and does not) produced, stockpiled or used this type of mines.”
Albania did not state its view on Article 3 and the permissible number of
mines retained for training, but noted that it had retained no mines for
research and training
purposes.[10]
Albania became a State Party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and
its Amended Protocol II on landmines on 28 August 2002. On 12 May 2006, Albania
consented to be bound by CCW Protocol V on explosive remnants of war. It did
not participate in the Seventh Annual Conference of States Parties to the
protocol in November 2005, but submitted the annual report required by Article
13 in September 2005.
Stockpile Destruction, Production, Transfer and
Use[11]
Albania completed destruction of its stockpile of 1,683,860 antipersonnel
mines on 4 April 2002, more than two years before its treaty deadline, in an
internationally funded project carried out under NATO auspices. Albania has
opted not to retain any antipersonnel mines for research or training purposes.
Production of antipersonnel mines in Albania was suspended in 1990 and
officially ceased in 1991. The two production plants were converted to
facilities for ammunition demilitarization by 2002. While Albania was not known
as a significant exporter of mines in the past, according to the UN, Russian
antipersonnel and Chinese antivehicle mines found in Kosovo after the 1999
conflict may have been transferred from
Albania.[12]
The most recent use of antipersonnel mines in Albania was in 1998 and 1999 in
the northeast of the country during the Kosovo crisis.
Mine and ERW Problem
Albania’s mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) problem stems
largely from two events.[13] In the
northeast, contamination by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) resulted mainly
from armed conflict in neighboring Kosovo in 1998-1999. Contamination included
extensive minefields on the Albanian border with Kosovo in the districts of
Kukës, Has and Tropojë. These minefields were laid by Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) forces during the Kosovo crisis. In a general
survey by the Albanian Armed Forces in 1999-2000, 102 affected areas were
identified, contaminating more than 15 square kilometers. The explosive threat
includes antipersonnel and antivehicle mines laid by FRY forces, unexploded
submunitions and other UXO resulting from FRY artillery, and at least six NATO
cluster strikes within Albanian
territory.[14]
According to the Albanian Mine Action Executive, as of the end of 2005,
3,146,423 square meters remained to be
cleared.[15] The original survey by
the Albanian Armed Forces declared most of the border area with Kosovo mined
but, through a socioeconomic impact survey and technical survey that preceded
demining, DanChurchAid found that the size of the suspected area was greatly
overestimated.[16]
Central regions of Albania are also contaminated by mines and, primarily,
ERW, as a result of looting of military depots during widespread civil disorder
in 1997. It was estimated that some 2.2 square kilometers of land were
contaminated with abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO), producing 15
“hotspots.” In April 2004, Albania reported that clearance of what
remained at the hotspots was complete. An amnesty encouraging people to hand in
looted mines and AXO expired on 31 May 2005, after several
extensions.[17] There is greater
concern about the risk in these areas than in mine-affected areas in the
northeast of the country, where clearance, mine risk education and survivor
assistance efforts have concentrated almost exclusively (and, in 2006, continued
to concentrate). [18] In 2005,
there were 16 ERW incidents with 21 casualties (compared with two casualties
from mines in the northeast), and 94 ERW casualties since 2000; the districts
most regularly affected were: Lezhë, Mat, Shkodër, Tirana, Vlorë,
Berat and Pukë.[19]
In April 2006, six military magazines in army depots in tunnels in the
village of Dhemblaj, in southern Albania, exploded killing one military official
and injuring four others.[20] The
explosion was reported to have happened while soldiers were disposing of old
ammunition that had been confiscated from the civilian population in
1997.[21] Initially, police and
army units were sent to the area, but could not reach the depots because
explosions continued. Shells had gone as far as five kilometers, reaching other
villages, according to media
reports.[22]
Mine Action Program
National Mine Action Authority: The Albanian Mine Action Committee
(AMAC) serves as the “executive and policy making body for mine
action” in Albania.[23] This
interministerial body was formally constituted in October
1999.[24] Only one meeting of AMAC
was held during 2005, on 7 June.[25] Four meetings were planned for 2006, in February, June, September and
December.[26]
A draft law developed at a workshop in early 2006 included provision for an
Albanian Mine Action Council to assume responsibility for overall management of
the mine action program.[27]
Mine Action Center: The Albanian Mine Action Executive (AMAE) is
responsible for coordinating and monitoring mine action activities in Albania.
AMAE reported in November 2005 that it was “updating the National Mine
Action Plan and developing, prioritizing, planning and coordinating
operations.” Mine action implementing agencies receive formal
accreditation based on written procedures and following an assessment. AMAE
stated that it allocates operational tasks, collates, records and disseminates
operational reports, verifies finalized operations and issues completion and
handover certificates.[28]
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has supported capacity-building of the
mine action program in Albania since 2002; the project was due to end in
December 2006.[29] To create the
national capacity for managing the mine action program, UNDP support has
included equipment and funding of AMAE headquarters and its regional office, and
technical assistance in developing the mine action plan, in management and
demining, according to international
standards.[30] UNDP continued to
provide a chief technical advisor, victim assistance advisor, and, since March
2005, a quality management
advisor.[31]
AMAE has used version 3 of the Information Management System for Mine Action
(IMSMA) for storing mine action information, located at the regional office in
Kukës in northeastern Albania.[32]
No national mine action legislation had been adopted in Albania as of
mid-2006. A workshop on developing national mine action legislation was held in
Tirana on 28 February-2 March 2006, facilitated by GICHD. One of UNDP’s
objectives for 2006 was that AMAE be “nationalised, with [a] relevant
budget line established in [the] 2007 governmental
budget.”[33] The draft law
prepared during the workshop provided that, “The costs of AMAE will be
funded from the national budget supplemented by international donations and
funding, where available.”[34] The draft legislation was under consideration by the Ministry of Defense
in May 2006.[35]
AMAE issues technical safety standards for mine action operations, based on
International Mine Action Standards
(IMAS).[36] DanChurchAid works
according to its own standing operating procedures that are reviewed annually
and approved as part of the accreditation
process.[37]
Strategic Planning and Progress
The National Mine Action Strategy, first formulated in 2002, revised in
August 2004 and March 2005, and finalized in April
2006,[38] had as its vision an
Albania free from mines and UXO by 2009. The mission statement was to develop
and implement a sustainable mine action program in order to eliminate the
effects of mines and UXO in Albania by December
2006.[39] This is in accordance
with a Council of Ministers Decision in 2000 that all the areas contaminated
with mines on Albanian territory be identified and cleared by
2009.[40]
At the request of UNDP, Albania’s National Plan for Completion was
drafted for inclusion in the UNDP Completion
Initiative.[41] The draft plan had
two clearance objectives:
Clear all landmines and UXO from areas designated as high and medium impact
and release them to local communities by the end of 2006; and,
Clear all landmines and UXO from areas designated as low impact and release
them to local communities by 2009, by means of a national clearance
capacity.[42]
For 2006, the mine action program’s policy objectives included
consolidation of mine action structures, approval of standing operating
procedures and other regulations, approval of mine action legislation, and
inclusion of mine action in the state
budget.[43] Its demining objectives
were clearance of high and medium priority areas, declaring Albania free of the
effects of mines by 2006, and consolidation of national clearance capacity to
continue with operations in
2007-2009.[44]
The focus of UN support in 2006 was transition of mine action to a
sustainable national program, linkage to a regional development framework for
northeast Albania, and complete clearance of 2 million square meters of high-
and medium-impact mined and battle areas, returning them to productive
use.[45] The UN stated in late 2005
that major constraints to mine action include the lack of comprehensive national
legislation and the fact that the remaining mined and battle areas are located
in harsh and remote mountainous
terrain.[46]
DanChurchAid explained that, although the national clearance capacity will be
operationally fully capable of executing the necessary work, the relevant
management capacity will likely prove problematic. DanChurchAid met with AMAE
and UNDP in Geneva in July 2006, where it was decided that the national
clearance capacity will continue as an NGO with DanChurchAid providing
administrative, financial and technical support in 2007.
[47]
A revised national strategic mine action plan, Albania Mine Action Strategy,
Completion Plan, was due to be presented and discussed at a workshop in June
2006.[48]
No evaluations have been conducted of the mine action program in Albania. It
was planned to organize a visit by donors in September 2006 to review the
progress of field
activities.[49]
Summary of Efforts to Comply with Article 5
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Albania must destroy all
antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as
possible, but no later than 1 August 2010. Albania aims to complete mine
clearance operations by 2009, one year before the treaty deadline. It is
included in the UNDP Completion Initiative which supports States Parties to the
Mine Ban Treaty in fulfilling their obligations under Article 5. At the
Standing Committee meetings in May 2006, Albania reiterated its determination to
meet the Article 5 deadline.[50]
Demining
In 2005-2006, DanChurchAid was the only demining organization operating in
Albania, implementing two projects. The Humanitarian Mine Action Project was
due to complete most the high and medium priority clearance tasks by the end of
the 2006 demining season, with “exit activities” completed by
February 2007. The project was funded in 2005. through the International Trust
Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF) by the US Department of
State, Germany and DanChurchAid’s private donors.
Secondly, the Technical Survey and Clearance Project-Building of National
Clearance Capacity started in March 2005, initially establishing four teams, and
continued and expanded in 2006, with the creation of six clearance teams capable
of dealing with the residual low priority clearance
tasks.[51] The project is funded by
the European Commission (EC) through
UNDP.[52]
Identification of Mined Areas: Surveys and Assessments
As part of the first project, DanChurchAid executed socioeconomic impact
survey activities that in 2005 reduced the suspected area by 207,000 square
meters.[53] The team collects
information about the location of mined areas and private caches of mines and
UXO, and gathers socioeconomic data on the impact of mines and UXO on
communities.[54] From this
information, AMAE establishes the priority list and tasks DanChurchAid, which
believes that, through this process, mine action priorities reflect the needs of
local communities.[55]
From March to November 2005, the team also conducted post-clearance
socioeconomic impact assessment of the clearance work completed in 2004. The
assessment found that 600 people were direct beneficiaries of
DanChurchAid’s clearance of 16 minefields in 2004. These beneficiaries
from 13 villages made an annual total income of €172,322 (some $215,000)
from use of the cleared areas.[56] The income was mainly generated from the sale and/or consumption of dairy
products and wood.[57]
Technical survey precedes clearance operations. In 2005, technical survey in
both projects covered a total area of 169,201 square meters. A further 483,264
square meters were “surveyed out” by the clearance capacity (these
are added to the areas cancelled by the SEIS teams to give the total area
reduced or cancelled out).[58]
Mine and ERW Clearance
DanChurchAid was given 34 task dossiers by AMAE in 2005 and planned to
release at least 600,000 square meters of
land.[59] From both projects
combined, according to its own figures, DanChurchAid demined and released a
total of 1,379,402 square meters in 2005: 305,828 square meters by battle area
clearance and 214,109 square meters of manual
clearance.[60] The land cleared, in
northeast Albania, was mainly communal grazing land (of greatest benefit to
communities) and border areas (important for border management/security).
Capacity involved was 10 manual mine clearance teams, three battle area
clearance teams, one survey team and two mine detection dog teams. Of these,
the humanitarian mine action project funded eight manual mine clearance teams,
one battle area clearance team, one survey team and one mine detection dog team.
The technical survey and clearance project funded two mine clearance teams, two
battle area clearance teams and one mine detection dog team. In 2006, the
humanitarian clearance project supported by ITF maintained the same capacity,
while the technical survey project supported by UNDP planned to add two mine
clearance teams.[61]
Area (square meters) Cleared/Reduced/Surveyed and Mines/ERW Destroyed by
DanChurchAid (DCA) Projects in Albania in
2005[62]
Project
Mine
clearance
Antipersonnel mines
Antivehicle mines
Battle area clearance
UXO
AXO
Area reduced
or cancelled
Technical survey
DCA/ITF
170,887
1,006
13
95,739
132
2
619,927
116,752
DCA/
UNDP
43,222
85
210,089
107
70,337
52,449
Total
214,109
1,091
13
305,828
239
2
690,264
169,201
ITF reported a clearance total of 262,942 square
meters.[63] The difference of 4,000
meters from 266,626 square meters of mine clearance plus battle area clearance
reported by DanChurchAid is attributed to mine detection dog teams from the UNDP
project working on the other project’s tasks; DanChurchAid’s annual
report notes this
discrepancy.[64]
AMAE has a quality management team of five people located in its Kukës
regional office. From March to December 2005, 384 monitoring visits were made
and quality control was carried out on 24,093 square meters of
land.[65] When land is deemed safe,
an official handover ceremony is organized.
One deminer was seriously injured on 3 April
2005.[66] DanChurchAid reported
that the accident happened because the deminer did not follow safety procedures,
stepping out of the working lane into the uncleared area. There had been no
other demining accidents by April
2006.[67] All DanChurchAid deminers
are insured.
Mine Risk Education
In 2005, mine risk education (MRE) in Albania continued to focus on 30,000
inhabitants of 39 mine-affected villages in the northeast, particularly
schoolchildren and the economically most active group of 18 to 45-year-old men,
which suffered the most casualties between 1999 and
2005.[68]
However, a study undertaken by the National Demilitarization Centre in 2005
on behalf of AMAE, showed that Albania faces a serious problem from ERW in other
parts of Albania, which has not been addressed by Albania’s mine action
program (see Landmine/ERW Casualties section in this report). The study
recommended that MRE be expanded to other areas of Albania, specifically to the
districts of Lezhë, Mat, Shkodër, Tirana, Vlorë, Berat and
Pukë. The data was being analyzed and shared with government institutions
and mine action operators to assess the possibility to expand activities into
these areas.[69]
MRE was conducted in 2005 by the Albanian Red Cross and the Kukës-based
NGO Victims of Mines and Weapons Association
(VMA-Kukesi);[70] UNICEF, AMAE and
the Albanian Institute of Pedagogical Studies continued to support MRE. MRE is
coordinated by AMAE as an integral part of the Albanian Mine Action Plan, and is
said to be based on IMAS.[71] Monthly coordination meetings and regular field monitoring took place.
Community liaison was strengthened in 2005 with the hiring of an MRE/community
liaison officer for the AMAE regional
office.[72]
UNICEF has been the lead UN agency for MRE in Albania since 1999. Starting
in 2006, the government, with UNICEF support, planned to implement a pilot
project to include MRE in the school
curriculum.[73]
Albania’s Article 7 report for 2005 stated that VMA’s MRE project
aimed to keep “30,000 mine-affected community members in 39 villages
continuously informed about the mine & UXO threat through the 39 anti-mine
community based committees.” In 2005, the committees supported by the VMA
team organized regular monthly gatherings where they distributed leaflets with
information on the mine risk and safe
behavior.[74]
School-based MRE activities were also organized. VMA organized a summer camp
to provide recreational activities and to promote human rights and MRE for 325
children of mine victims and their families in Kukës, Has and
Tropojë.[75]
The Albanian Red Cross continued to provide MRE in northeast Albania; in
2005, it provided MRE sessions for 3,987 people in 118 community meetings (less
than the 410 meetings in 2004).[76] Five schools completed MRE murals and 4,000 copies of a locally produced
comic were distributed in 31 schools, with 2,000 questionnaires to test the
messages retained from the
comic.[77]
The Albanian Red Cross coordinator and MRE instructors sought to maintain
contact with clearance organizations operating in the area, to support
day-to-day clearance and liaise between the affected communities and
deminers.[78]
Funding and Assistance
In 2005, a total of $5,316,712 was donated by three countries and the EC for
mine action in Albania, an increase from 2004 ($3,068,458 donated by six
countries).[79] Donors reporting
funding in 2005 were:
Czech Republic: CZK320,850 ($13,374) to ITF for a mine clearance quality
management project in northwestern
Albania;[80]
EC: €2,570,000 ($3,199,393) though UNDP for mine clearance, national
clearance capacity and MRE and survivor
assistance;[81]
France: €50,000 ($62,245) for victim assistance in Kukës
region;[82]
US: $2,041,700 from the Department of State through ITF, consisting of
$1,475,000 to DanChurchAid for clearance, $467,700 to Handicap International and
VMA-Kukesi for survivor assistance and capacity-building, and $99,000 to
VMA-Kukesi for MRE.[83]
The Ministry of Defense provided mine action support in the form of explosive
materials and a helicopter medical evacuation service in
2005.[84] This contribution was
uncosted.
AMAE reported receiving mine action funding of some $4.54 million in 2005,
less than it reported in 2004 ($5.5
million).[85] Albania received
$3,886,806 (almost 60 percent) of its total appeal for $6,506,378 through the UN
Portfolio of Mine Action in 2005.[86]
AMAE reported that in 2005 it allocated funding of about $4.54 million as
follows: mine clearance $1,736,222 (38.3 percent); victim assistance $619,246
(13.7 percent); MRE $124,487 (2.7 percent); mine action program support $531,151
(11.7 percent); technical survey and clearance $1,526,010 (33.6
percent).[87]
DanChurchAid reported that in 2005 it received £185,704 ($337,981) from
the UK through the ITF for mine clearance activities. However, the funds were
used to cover DanChurchAid’s clearance activities in
2006.[88]
The ITF reported that it directed $1,816,174 to Albania in 2005, or 6.6
percent of its total dispensed funding, less than in 2004 ($2,833,959, 11.3
percent of its funding).[89] The
ITF contribution in 2005 was expended on: demining by DanChurchAid: $1,401,887
(77.2 percent); AMAE support by UNDP: $111,412 (6.1 percent); MRE by VMA:
$105,873 (5.8 percent); and victim assistance: $191,084 (10.5
percent).[90]
In addition to the contributions reported by donors to the ITF for Albania in
2005, the ITF reported receiving $10,600 from VMA for victim assistance and
$58,776 from DanChurchAid for mine
clearance.[91] The funds received
by the ITF from VMA were raised by individual donors during a Night of a
Thousand Dinners fundraising event.[92] An unspecified amount of the UK’s total contribution to the ITF was
allocated to mine action in
Albania.[93]
EC funding for the Technical Survey and Clearance Project is reported to have
been for September 2003 to May 2006.
[94]The EC contribution to the project was €2 million ($2,486,854).
[95]This amount would equal the total budget for the project as reported by
UNDP.
[96]
In May 2006, UNDP reported that Albania sought $7,114,402 for mine action in
2006.[97]
Landmine/ERW Casualties
In 2005, AMAE reported 23 new casualties from mines and UXO; one person was
killed and 22 injured in 18
incidents.[98] Two casualties (both
injured by mines) were within the AMAE operational area of Kukës, and 21
(one killed and 20 injured) occurred in other parts of Albania, including three
females and 18 males; 43 percent of these casualties were children. This
represents a significant decrease from 46 landmine/UXO casualties (9 killed and
37 injured) in 2004, when a single incident with a submunition killed two people
and injured 18 during a training exercise. The figures reflect a continued
reduction in landmine/UXO casualties in the Kukës region from the 16
casualties (two killed and 14 injured) in 2003. AMAE has attributed the decline
in casualties to clearance and MRE activities in this
region.[99] However, the 2005 casualty data also reveals a large number of casualties
from a previously unidentified (and un-addressed) source―ERW in the
so-called hotspots in central Albania.
In April 2005, one deminer working with DanChurchAid was injured. In June, a
man from Has district was injured on the Kosovo side of the border while grazing
animals.[100]
Casualties continued to be reported in 2006, with five casualties by May; one
person was killed and four injured when six military magazines exploded on 6 May
at a military storage facility in the village of Dhemblaj in southern Albania.
The servicemen were reportedly deactivating old ammunition when the accident
occurred.[101]
As of December 2005, the AMAE database (covering only Kukës region)
contained information on 272 landmine/UXO casualties since 1999: 34 people were
killed and 238 injured. The group most affected by mine casualties is men of
working age.[102]
Data Collection: Landmine/UXO casualty data is stored in the IMSMA
database, at the AMAE regional office in
Kukës.[103] Data collection
is conducted in a standardized manner using IMSMA incident reports with regular
coordination by AMAE (through both the MRE and community-based rehabilitation
programs), VMA, DanChurchAid, Albanian Red Cross, National Demilitarization
Center (NDC) and anti-mine committees in the affected villages; summaries of
data are shared with all relevant actors, including donors, NGOs, hospitals and
relevant government
ministries.[104]
In 2005, significant progress was made toward establishing the total number
of people killed or injured by mines and ERW and defining the scope of the
problem. As one component of the UNDP project on reintegration of survivors,
the NDC was subcontracted by AMAE to collect IMSMA incident and needs assessment
reports for landmine/ERW casualties resulting from the 1997 uprising; this was
completed in January 2006. It identified 467 previously unknown ERW casualties
in the “hotspots” in central Albania. The data was analyzed for
future planning and expansion of survivor assistance and MRE activities, and the
findings were presented to the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and
Social-Economic Reintegration on 8 May
2006.[105] Analysis of the data
revealed that since 2000, there have been 94 casualties as a result of ERW, and
the districts most regularly affected were Lezhë, Mat, Shkodër,
Tirana, Vlorë, Berat and Pukë. In 2005, there were 16 incidents with
21 casualties (one killed and 20 injured); in 2004, there were 15 incidents with
21 casualties (three killed and 18 injured; all were male, and 52 percent were
children); in 2003, there were 10 incidents with 12 casualties (two killed and
10 injured; two were female, 10 male, and 33 percent were children). In 2002,
there were 10 incidents with 12 casualties (one was killed and 11 injured; one
was female, 11 male, and 42 percent were children). The report recommended that
data collection of future ERW incidents outside Kukës region should be
standardized and conducted by AMAE through established national actors, such as
the Albanian Red Cross or the NDC; an agreement should be made with the Ministry
of Health for collection of data through hospitals; and survivor assistance
activities should be extended to include both old and new casualties from the
hotspots.[106]
Other data collection initiatives were implemented to strengthen national
data collection and management capacities, and led to extensive data sharing
among actors in related sectors. UNDP Albania assisted the National
Prosthetic-Orthotic Centre (NPOC) in Tirana to set up a patient
information-management system; approximately 400 amputees were entered into the
database, and a patient-file system was generated for each person to better
manage their treatment, particularly patients with ongoing needs. Although the
new NPOC database and IMSMA are not integrated, one incentive for the database
was to improve NPOC reporting of landmine/UXO casualties to AMAE. In 2005, 10
IMSMA incident report forms for UXO survivors from the 1997 uprising were
collected.[107]
The VMA-Kukesi community based rehabilitation (CBR) database contains
detailed information on the socioeconomic, counseling, physiotherapy and
prosthetic needs and status of those served under the
project.[108] The project aims to
serve directly 238 registered mine survivors, and indirectly approximately 1,600
family members and other people with disabilities in the
region.[109] The database is
updated on a regular basis by VMA through the project in collaboration with the
Institute of Primary Healthcare in Kukës; all information in the database
has been shared with the Institute of Primary Healthcare and the physiotherapist
in Kukës. As of May 2006, it had not been shared with central
authorities.[110]
Survivor Assistance
At the First Review Conference in Nairobi, Albania was identified as one of
24 States Parties with significant numbers of mine survivors and “the
greatest responsibility to act, but also the greatest needs and expectations for
assistance” in providing adequate services for the care, rehabilitation,
and reintegration of
survivors.[111]
Albania presented its 2005-2009 objectives to the Sixth Meeting of States
Parties in November-December 2005. At the Standing Committee meetings in May
2006, Albania’s victim assistance expert gave more detail of its
commitment to achieving both its objectives and time-based goals for survivor
assistance by 2009.
Ongoing objectives included: establish an emergency assistance fund to cover
medical costs for mine casualties; advocate for more equipment, supplies and
staff in mine-affected areas and for the employment of people with disabilities;
provide support for education programs for people with disabilities; support the
National Strategy on Disability and ensure inclusion of mine/UXO survivors
information in the strategy; and raise awareness about rights of and legal
issues relating to discrimination of people with
disabilities.[112]
Time-based objectives for 2005 included: update, analyze, and share casualty
data including needs assessment surveys to outline rehabilitation and review the
victim assistance strategy with all partners; improve cooperation and referral
between the NPOC and the physiotherapy department at the Tirana Military
Hospital; provide information on counseling and establish a peer support
network; provide training for medical, rehabilitation and social workers;
advocate to include social workers in the operational structure of district
hospitals; and provide direct economic assistance to more than 30 mine/UXO
survivors.[113]
Time-based objectives for 2006-2008 included: identify survivors and evaluate
their needs throughout Albania and identify the means to address these needs
(2006); upgrade Kukës Regional Hospital and build surgical capacity at
Bajram Curri Hospital through refresher training for surgeons (2006); advocate
for civilian access to the Military Hospital (2006); provide treatment to all
amputee survivors by establishing a rehabilitation center in Kukës town and
in Tirana and procuring assistive devices to district hospitals (2006);
establish training for all prosthetic technicians at the NPOC, train five
technicians to international standards (2008) and develop a sustainable
physiotherapy training program through the Nursing Faculty in Tirana; establish
vocational training in Kukës for 30 survivors (mid-2006); start a revolving
loan fund (2006), and home-based income-generating activities for another 32
survivors; advocate for equal employment opportunities for persons with
disabilities; continue small-scale infrastructure development projects in
cleared villages of Has and Tropojë districts; raise awareness about
accessibility rights (mid-2006); achieve effective implementation of disability
legislation (2007); and contribute to the fulfillment of the National Strategy
for People with Disability
(2005-2015).[114]
In its presentation to the Standing Committee meeting on 8 May 2006, as well
as in the AMAP 2005 annual report and Form J of its Article 7 report, Albania
illustrated a coordinated and integrated approach linked to other pillars of
mine action and also to national disability and regional community development
strategies which are driven by needs defined by the communities the projects are
intended to serve. Key to Albanian survivor assistance endeavors was data
collection and project planning based on analysis of the
data.[115] In 2005, 3,987 people,
including survivors, participated in 118 community meetings in mine-affected
regions of Albania.[116]
In 2005, measurable progress continued to be made on the integrated victim
assistance strategy adopted in
2003.[117] AMAE utilizes existing
structures through partner agencies UNDP and VMA-Kukesi to implement projects to
assist landmine/UXO survivors in northeast Albania. In an effort to ensure
adherence to IMAS, as well as to identify and address priority gaps in
assistance, AMAE monitors all survivor assistance projects on a regular basis.
The reports produced by AMAE are shared with implementing partners for planning
project activities. A UN volunteer was employed as a victim assistance advisor
to develop a sustainable victim assistance capability by December 2006, and
survivors are directly involved in several aspects of mine
action.[118]
The Victim Assistance Steering Committee (VASC) was formed in June 2004 to
ensure that survivors receive necessary emergency assistance and rehabilitation,
and that families of survivors are promptly provided with income-generating
projects relevant to their needs and situation. The VASC includes
representatives from AMAE, DanChurchAid, UNDP Local Governance Program (LGP)
Kukës, VMA, the Prefecture Office and Handicap International. The steering
committee prioritizes how the victim assistance budget is spent and drafts
conclusions based on the priority needs assessment of recent casualties and a
rehabilitation survey of injured
survivors.[119] A program review
meeting was planned for June 2006, and an evaluation of the program for
September.
In early 2006, Handicap International received funding from the USAID through
the ITF to begin development of physical rehabilitation and prosthetic services
in Kukës, to create a nationally recognized physiotherapy course as well as
an orthotic/prosthetic course, and to support the government to put in place a
global strategy on physical rehabilitation and
reintegration.[120]
The UNDP-implemented Reintegration of Landmine/UXO Survivors project was
carried out between October 2004 and December 2005 as a capacity-building and
data collection program. The project included support for the development of
the CBR network, establishment of a prosthetic repair center in Kukës and
an emergency assistance fund, Rural Rapid Assessment in eight mine-affected
villages, and hotspot data
collection.[121]
The comprehensive VMA-Kukesi CBR network provides community-based social and
medical services that include physiotherapy, rehabilitation and counseling to
landmine/UXO survivors and others in need, as well as efforts to inform people
with disabilities of their rights and the resources available to them, mainly
provided by 30 village nurses.[122]
In general, village nurses in the Kukës region provide emergency first
aid, usually within 10 to 15
minutes.[123] Routine cases are
then transported by road to Kukës Regional Hospital, Krumë (Has), and
Bajram Curri Hospital. Hospitals at the district level have very basic
equipment but no intensive care units. In mine-affected areas, trauma surgery
is only available at Kukës Regional Hospital, the main hospital in the
mine-affected area, which has basic though adequate infrastructure and staff and
the National Trauma Center at the Central University Military Hospital in
Tirana, which is the main specialized facility; difficult cases are evacuated by
air to this center. The average time between injury and arrival at hospital is
1.5 to two hours, and it takes on average three to four hours between injury and
surgery. Corrective surgery is only available in Tirana at the Mother Theresa
Hospital. The government officially covers healthcare costs but many people
have to pay additional hidden costs to obtain the health services they
require.[124]
As of 2006, UNDP will directly execute a project to improve emergency and
ongoing medical care for mine/UXO survivors in northeast Albania with French
government funding.[125] UNDP
began implementation in March 2006 by providing emergency equipment and supplies
to nurses in the CBR network and physiotherapy equipment and supplies to the
Kukës Regional Hospital. The project will also provide in-depth training
abroad at the Slovenian Institute of Rehabilitation to six nurses (two from each
district) from the CBR network and one physiotherapist from the Kukës
Regional Hospital.[126]
The National Prosthetic-Orthopedic Center (NPOC) in Tirana, located at the
National Trauma Center within the Central University Military Hospital, is the
only center for prosthetics and orthotics in Albania and is six hours away from
mine-affected areas. It has the capacity to produce lower limb prostheses, but
difficult cases are sent to the Slovenian Institute of Rehabilitation. All
services are free of charge, except for wheelchairs and crutches, if required.
There are no prosthetic/orthotic technicians trained to international standards,
but most of them have received training abroad. Basic physiotherapy is
performed by the 30 nurses of the CBR network and one physiotherapist in the
Kukës Regional Hospital and one in Bajram Curri Hospital. There is no
affordable training in physical rehabilitation in Albania. As part of its new
International Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation project, Handicap
International planned to begin in September 2006 a three-year program in
physical therapy within the Nursing Facility at the University of
Tirana.[127] The physiotherapy
section of the Military Hospital was reconstructed and re-equipped in 2005 and
can receive up to 40 people per
week.[128]
In 2005, 138 prostheses and 118 orthoses were fitted at NPOC. The
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Special Fund for the Disabled
(SFD) continued support of the center in
2005.[129]
In December 2005, the ministries of defense and health agreed on their roles
and responsibilities for the reconstruction and future operation of the
National Prosthetic-Orthotic Centre. The ICRC-SFD and AMAE planned to assist in
fundraising for this project during the early part of 2006. It was planned to
let the center operate with a separate budget under the Military Hospital from
mid-2006.[130]
In March 2005, the Prostheses Support Center for maintenance and repair of
prostheses began operations at the Kukës Regional Hospital as part of the
UNDP Reintegration of Landmine/UXO Survivors project. The center assisted 120
amputees with prosthetic repairs to December and provided training to survivors
and other people with disabilities on methods for self-care and maintenance of
their prostheses. A prosthetic repair technician received training at the NPOCs
in both Tirana and Pristina sponsored by UNDP Albania and began work at the
center in January 2006.[131]
In December 2005, 18 mine/UXO survivors who required specialized treatment
not available in Albania were assisted at the Slovenian Institute of
Rehabilitation, with ITF support. By May 2006, 99 Albanians had received
treatment outside the
country.[132]
VMA-Kukesi provides psychosocial support, vocational training and income
generation activities for mine survivors and their families in 39 villages in
the three mine-affected districts of Has, Kukës and Tropojë. By June
2005, 238 mine/UXO survivors were registered members of VMA-Kukesi through the
CBR network, which reached its full deployment in October
2005.[133] Two medical
specialists (a physiotherapist and neurologist), and one prosthetic repair
technician from Kukës Regional Hospital visited 29 survivors in their homes
three times per month to provide specialized medical treatment, and to help
establish connections between survivors, CBR nurses in their respective
villages, and the medical specialists at the hospital. The team also raised
awareness among landmine/UXO survivors by counseling survivors on the
availability of specialized types of medical treatment and by distributing 405
leaflets to mine survivors on physiotherapy exercises and prosthesis
maintenance. As a follow up of trainings conducted in 2004, 30 rehabilitation
workers and nurses received intense training in September 2005 to improve the
quality and access to healthcare services for mine survivors residing in the
Kukës region.[134]
Counseling is not regularly available in Albania and is not widely accepted
by the public. Hospitals have no trained social workers. Landmine survivors
are being provided with awareness materials that outline coping strategies. The
CBR project manager is a mine survivor and makes field visits to offer advice
and encouragement. Peer support is not available while mine casualties are in
hospital.[135] Nurses from the
CBR program and one neurologist from Kukës Hospital have received training
in counseling mine survivors. No other peer support program exists for landmine
survivors.[136]
There one is socioeconomic reintegration project for landmine survivors in
establishing home-based economies in animal husbandry through vocational
training and a revolving loan fund. Child survivors have received support
(transport and private tuition) to continue their school education; few teachers
have received special training in dealing with children with disabilities. Most
mine survivors worked in the agricultural sector and continue this after their
incident. Employment services rarely benefit people with disabilities, partly
due to very high unemployment throughout Albania, especially in the Kukës
region, but also due to discrimination. The new National Strategy on Disability
(2005) aims to promote adequate employment opportunities for people with
disabilities, but has not been implemented.
[137]
Between November 2004 and November 2005, VMA implemented the Support to
Landmine/UXO Survivors project with technical and material support from UNDP.
The project was funded by Night of a Thousand Dinners 2003 donations, UNDP and
the ITF; it assisted child landmine/UXO survivors to return to school,
implemented vocational training, and provided interest-free loans, cows, goats,
chickens, or beehives to develop home-based income-generating activities. By
November 2005, 44 survivors and their families had received assistance; five of
which received assistance under this program and the remaining 39 were helped
through the US Department of State-funded ITF project to establish home-based
businesses for mine survivors.[138] The project was extended under the name Establishing Household Economies,
aiming to assist approximately 30 mine/UXO survivors with vocational training
and another 32 mine/UXO survivors with animal husbandry in
2006.[139]
The Rural Rapid Appraisal was conducted in eight priority mine-affected
villages during January 2005 in Kukës prefecture within the framework of
the UNDP Reintegration of Landmine/UXO Survivors project, with the aim of
integrating socioeconomic projects for landmine/UXO survivors into local
community development programs.[140] It identified the highest priority small-scale infrastructure development
projects through direct discussions with community members, including
landmine/UXO survivors, local government representatives and others. The
Kukës Regional Development Initiative began in March 2005, working through
community-based organizations to address the priority needs identified in the
Rural Rapid Appraisal for the mine-affected villages of Shishtavec, Terthore,
Zapod, Kolsh and Gryke-Caje. There are 26 community-based organizations with a
membership of 845 people that, through their cooperation with local government,
have implemented 25 small-scale infrastructure projects since 2002 as part of
the UNDP Local Governance Program.[141]
The Tirana-based Albanian Disability Rights Foundation is an umbrella
organization for all NGOs working with people with disabilities. It has a lawyer
who acts on behalf of people with disabilities and a workshop that produces
wheelchairs; all workshop employees are people with disabilities, including mine
survivors.[142]
Disability Policy and Practice
Albania has legislation to protect the rights of people with disabilities and
mine survivors are entitled to the same
rights.[143] However, there is
reportedly discrimination against people with disabilities in the workforce,
education and other state
services.[144] The Ministry of
Labor and Social Affairs is responsible for issues relating to people with
disabilities and for developing the National Strategy on People with
Disabilities.[145]
In April 2005, the Ministry adopted a law entitling all people with
disabilities to a social pension, the amount being dependent on the level of
disability. In 2006, the proposed Bill to Empower and Regulate Mine Action in
the Republic of Albania specified that “...any civilian who has survived a
landmine accident shall be entitled to the same benefits as a ‘labour
invalid’, as set down in these
laws.”[146] AMAE actively
lobbied for passage of the new
law.[147]
[1] The full title of the latter is
Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 269, “On Ban of Use, Storage,
Production and Transfer of the APM and their Destruction,” 25 May
2000. [2] An English-language version of
the law is attached to Albania’s most recent Article 7 report. Article 7
Report, Form A, Annex A, 27 March 2006. Article 2 states that the Minister of
Defense is the government authority responsible for implementation of the
Convention. The law has provisions regarding implementation of Article 8 of the
Convention on compliance. [3] Law No. 9515 on “The
Implementation of the Convention on the Ban of Use, Storage, Production and
Transfer of the Antipersonnel Mines and their Destruction,” 18 April 2006.
Article 8 says: “1. The physical and juridical bodies, national and
international, are prohibited in all cases to: a) develop, produce, buy,
storage, possess antipersonnel mines or transfer those, directly or indirectly
to other bodies; b) use antipersonnel mines; c) help, encourage or force, in any
means, other bodies to participate in any activity prohibited for a state
signatory to the Convention; d) transfer to or receive antipersonnel mines from
state non-parties to the Convention.” [4] Exchange rate: US$1 = 91.79
Leke, www.oanda.com, accessed 10 July
2005. [5] Presentation by Albania,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action
Technologies, Geneva, 11 February 2004. Article 278 of the Albanian criminal
code imposes penal sanctions for the production and transfer of weapons,
including mines, without authorization from government authorities. [6] Interview with Arben Braha,
Director, Albanian Mine Action Executive (AMAE), Tirana, 20 March 2006. [7] Previous Article 7 reports
were submitted on 29 April 2005, 30 April 2004, 30 April 2003 and 3 April 2002.
The initial report was due 28 January 2001. [8] Email from Lt. Col. Sami Nezir,
Head of Arms Control Section, Ministry of Defense, 20 April 2006. In 1999, when
Albania was a signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty, US Army engineer units
reportedly deployed to Albania with antipersonnel mines and their delivery
systems as part of Task Force Hawk to support operations in Kosovo. See
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 51. [9] Email from Lt. Col. Sami
Nezir, Ministry of Defense, 20 April 2006. [10] Ibid. [11] For more details, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 99-101. [12] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2000, p. 560, citing UNMACC, “Threat Fact Sheet,” No. 1,
27 October 1999. [13] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, pp. 114-115; UN, “Country Profile: Albania,” www.mineaction.org, accessed 27 March
2006. [14] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 114; AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian Mine Action Programme,
Annual Report 2005,” Tirana, undated but 2006, p. 7. [15] AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian
Mine Action Programme, Annual Report 2005,” Tirana, undated but 2006, p.
17. [16] Email from Eva Veble,
Programme Officer, DanChurchAid (DCA), Copenhagen, 27 April 2006. [17] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 115. [18] Email from Arben Braha,
AMAE, 6 May 2006. See Landmine/ERW Casualties section of this
report. [19] AMAE/UNDP, “In-Depth
Analysis of Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) Casualties throughout
Albania,” Tirana, (draft) February 2006, pp. 2-4; AMAE,
“Questionnaire,” distributed at the Standing Committee on Victim
Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 8 May 2006, p. 2. [20] “Albanian authorities
confirm one army officer dead in weapon depots explosion,” Associated
Press, Tirana, 6 May 2006, www.thenewanatolian.com, accessed 17 May 2006;
“Explosion at army weapon depots in southern Albania, at least two people
injured,” Pravda Online (Albania), 6 May 2006. [21] “Blast in depot in
Albania,” Agence France-Presse (Zemelan), 6 May 2006. [22] “Explosions in
Albanian army weapon depots, unconfirmed reports of victims,”
Associated Press, Tirana, 6 May 2006. [23] Government of Albania and
UNDP Albania, “Albania National Plan for Completion,” Tirana, 20 May
2005, p. 4. [24] Email from Arben Braha,
AMAE, 6 May 2006. It is chaired by the Deputy Minister of Defense with
membership drawn from the ministries of foreign affairs, health, interior, and
local government, as well as the UNDP resident representative. UNDP,
“Mine Action in Albania,” Project Document, ALB/02/001, p. 6. [25] AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian
Mine Action Programme, Annual Report 2005,” Tirana, undated but 2006, p.
9. [26] AMAC, “Working Plan
2006,” Tirana, 13 February 2006, p. 1; email from Arben Braha, AMAE, 6 May
2006. [27] “A Bill to Empower and
Regulate Mine Action in the Republic of Albania,” Section C2, draft
legislation adopted at Workshop on National Mine Action Legislation, Tirana, 2
March 2006. [28] AMAE/UNDP, “The
Albanian Mine Action Programme,” Information Brochure, updated in November
2005, Tirana, p. 3. [29] Presentation by Stefano
Calabretta, Chief Technical Advisor, UNDP Albania, to the Workshop on National
Mine Action Legislation, Tirana, 1 March 2006; email from Stefano Calabretta,
UNDP Albania, 19 July 2006. [30] Presentation by Stefano
Calabretta, UNDP Albania, to the Workshop on National Mine Action Legislation,
Tirana, 1 March 2006; UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,”
New York, p. 20. [31] AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian
Mine Action Programme, Annual Report 2005,” Tirana, undated but 2006, p.
11. [32] Email from Arben Braha,
AMAE, 6 May 2006. [33] UN, “2006 Portfolio of
Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 20. [34] “A Bill to Empower and
Regulate Mine Action in the Republic of Albania,” Section C2, draft
legislation adopted at Workshop on National Mine Action Legislation, Tirana, 2
March 2006. [35] Interview with Arben Braha,
AMAE, Geneva, 11 May 2006. [36] Email from Arben Braha,
AMAE, 6 May 2006. [37] Email from Eva Veble, DCA,
27 April 2006. [38] Email from Arben Braha,
AMAE, 6 May 2006. [39] AMAE/UNDP, “The
Albanian Mine Action Programme,” November 2005, Tirana, p. 3; UN,
“2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 14; UN,
“Country Profile: Albania.” [40] Decision of the Council of
Ministers No. 269, “On Ban of Use, Storage, Production and Transfer of the
APM and their Destruction,” Point 7, 25 May 2000. [41] Interview with Arben Braha,
AMAE, Geneva, 11 May 2006. [42] Government of Albania and
UNDP Albania, “Albania National Plan for Completion,” Tirana, 20 May
2005, p. 3. [43] Ibid, p. 31. [44] AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian
Mine Action Programme, Annual Report 2005,” Tirana, undated but 2006, p.
32. [45] UN, “2006 Portfolio of
Mine Action Projects,” New York, pp. 13-15; UN, “Country Profile:
Albania.” [46] UN, “2006 Portfolio of
Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 14. [47] Emails from Eva Veble, DCA,
27 April, 22 May and 19 July 2006; and interview in Geneva, 9 May 2006. [48] AMAC, “Working Plan
2006,” Tirana, 13 February 2006, p. 1. [49] Ibid. [50] Statement by Albania,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action
Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006. [51] Email from Eva Veble, DCA,
19 July 2006. [52] UN, “2006 Portfolio of
Mine Action Projects,” New York, p. 13; AMAE/UNDP, “The Albanian
Mine Action Programme,” Tirana, November 2005, p. 3; for events which
delayed a technical survey project until March 2005, see Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, pp. 117-118. [53] Email from Eva Veble, DCA,
22 May 2006. [54] DCA has focused on the areas
affected as a result of the Kosovo conflict. [55] Email from Eva Veble, DCA,
27 April 2006. [56] Ibid; email from Arben
Braha, AMAE, Tirana, 6 May 2006. [57] Email from Eva Veble, DCA,
27 April 2006. [58] Ibid. [59] AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian
Mine Action Programme, Annual Report 2005,” Tirana, undated but 2006, p.
14; UN, “2006 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, p.
16 [60] Email from Eva Veble, DCA,
27 April 2006. The following from AMAE’s annual report for 2005 appears
to be a mistake: “In this framework, in total some 1,160,977 m2 in
Northeast Albania were released as mine/UXO free by the demining
organization.” AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian Mine Action Programme, Annual
Report 2005,” Tirana, undated but 2006, p. 5. Albania’s Article 7
report for 2005 reports a total demined land of 1,380,402 square meters.
Article 7 report, Annex C, 26 March 2006. According to UNDP, these are the
correct figures. Email from Stefano Calabretta, UNDP Albania, 19 July 2006.
[61] Email from Eva Veble, DCA,
27 April 2006; ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” pp. 24, 33. [62] Emails from Eva Veble, DCA,
Copenhagen, 27 April and 22 May 2006. Summary figures are presented in
AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian Mine Action Programme, Annual Report 2005,”
Tirana, undated but 2006, p. 17. The figures for area reduced/cancelled are
reached by compiling areas reduced by operational clearance teams (“survey
out”) and the impact survey teams, but are not repeated in the technical
survey column to avoid double counting. Email from Eva Veble, DCA, 22 May 2006.
Of the total antipersonnel mines destroyed, 370 appear to have come from a cache
discovered during survey operations. [63] ITF, “Annual Report
2005,” p. 24. [64] Email from Derek Frost,
Programme Manager, DCA, Albania, 10 May 2006; email from Eva Veble, DCA,
Copenhagen, 22 May 2006. [65] AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian
Mine Action Programme, Annual Report 2005,” Tirana, undated but 2006, p.
15. [66] Ibid, p. 18. [67] Email from Eva Veble, DCA,
27 April 2006. [68] Interview with Dr. Veri
Dogjani, MRE and Victim Assistance Officer, AMAE, Tirana, 21 March 2006. [69] AMAE/UNDP, “In-Depth
Analysis of Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) Casualties throughout
Albania,” Tirana, (draft) February 2006, p. 5; email from Dr. Veri
Dogjani, AMAE, Tirana, 15 June 2006. [70] Article 7 Report, Form I, 27
March 2006. [71] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 105. [72] AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian
Mine Action Programme, Annual Report 2005,” Tirana, undated but 2006, p.
12; email from Dr. Veri Dogjani, AMAE, 15 June 2006. [73] Statement by Albania, Sixth
Meeting of States Parties, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005; email from
Stefano Calabretta, UNDP Albania, 19 July 2006. [74] Article 7 Report, Form I, 29
April 2005; AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian Mine Action Programme, Annual Report
2005,” Tirana, undated but 2006, p. 21. [75] Ibid. [76] ICRC, “Annual Report
2005,” Geneva, May 2006, p. 251. [77] ICRC, “ICRC Special
Report-Mine Action 2005,” Geneva, p. 16; email from Dr. Veri Dogjani,
AMAE, 15 June 2006. [78] Interview with Ramadan
Disha, MRE Coordinator, Albanian Red Cross, Tirana, 26 May 2005. [79] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 120. [80] Email from Jan Kara,
Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 21 April 2006. Average exchange rate for
2005: US$1 = CZK23.99048. Landmine Monitor estimate based on information from
www.oanda.com. [81] Emails from Laura Liguori,
Security Policy Unit, Conventional Disarmament, EC, June-July 2006; AMAE/UNDP,
“Albanian Mine Action Programme, Annual Report 2005,” Tirana,
undated but 2006, p. 29. The total budget for the project, from October 2005 to
March 2007, was reported to be €2,886,000 ($3,592,781) including the EC
contribution of €2.57 million. [82] France Article 7 Report,
Form J, 26 April 2006; CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form E, 6
October 2005. Average exchange rate for 2005: €1 = US$1.2449, used
throughout this report. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates
(Annual),” 3 January 2006. [83] Email from H. Murphey McCloy
Jr., Senior Demining Advisor, US Department of State, 18 July 2006. [84] Statement by Albania,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action
Technologies, Geneva,10 May 2006. [85] AMAE/UNDP, “Albanian
Mine Action Programme, Annual Report 2005,” Tirana, undated but 2006, pp.
29-31; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 120. [86] UN Mine Action Service
(UNMAS), “2005 Portfolio End-Year Review,” www.mineaction.org,
accessed 20 May 2005. [87] AMAE/UNDP,
“Albanian Mine Action Programme, Annual Report 2005,” Tirana,
undated but 2006, pp. 29-31. The US$ conversions of subtotals made by Landmine
Monitor add to the total $4.54 million. [88] Email from Eva Veble, DCA,
19 July 2006. Average exchange rate for 2005: £1 = US$1.820, US Federal
Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2006. [89] ITF, “Annual Report
2005,” pp. 20-21; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 120. [90] ITF, “Use Of Donations
by Countries in Year 2005,” in email from Iztok Hočevar, Head of
International Relations Department, ITF, 11 May 2006; ITF, “Annual Report
2005,” p. 24. [91] These amounts have been
included in the estimate of total funding. [92] Email from Stefano
Calabretta, UNDP Albania, 19 July 2006. [93] ITF, “Annual Report
2005,” pp. 12-17. The total UK contribution reported by ITF was
$1,064,510 for multiple recipients including Albania. [94] UNDP, “UNDP
Development Partnerships,” www.undp.org.al, accessed 11 June 2006; UNDP,
“Albanian Mine Action Program (AMAP) - Technical Survey Project (September
2003-May 2006),” updated 11 May 2006. [95] EC Delegation,
“Assistance provided by UNDP,” www.delalb.cec.eu.int, accessed 6 July
2006. The time frame for funding is not specified. The UNDP recorded this amount
outside of its regular calculations “to avoid double recording if reported
by the donor.” AMAE has previously informed Landmine Monitor that EC
funding of €2 million for technical survey was received in 2003, and
carried over to 2004. Email from AMAE, 6 October 2005; see Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 120. [96] UNDP, “UNDP
Development Partnerships,” www.undp.org.al, accessed 11 June 2006; UNDP,
“Albanian Mine Action Program (AMAP) - Technical Survey Project (September
2003 - May 2006),” updated 11 May 2006. [97] Mine Action Support Group,
“MASG Newsletter-First Quarter of 2006,” Washington DC, 1 May 2006,
p. 13. [98] Information provided by Dr.
Veri Dogjani, AMAE, Geneva, 8 May 2006. [99] AMAE/UNDP, “In-Depth
Analysis of Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) Casualties throughout
Albania,” Tirana, (draft) February 2006, pp. 2-4; see also Landmine
Monitor Report 2005, p. 121. Landmine Monitor reported 25 casualties in
2004 and four in 2003; however, with new “hotspot” casualty
information provided by Dr. Veri Dogjani, the revised total for 2004 increased
to 46, and the 2003 total to 16. [100] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2005, p. 121. [101] “Explosion at army
weapon depots in southern Albania, at least two people injured,” Pravda
Online (Albania), 6 May 2006. The article did not provide a clear total of
casualties; however, according to the Landmine Monitor researcher in Albania, TV
broadcasts on 6 and 7 May reported that one person was killed and four
injured. [102] Presentation by Dr. Veri
Dogjani, AMAE, Standing Committee Meeting on Victim Assistance and
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