National Mine Action Standards (NMAS) Development - 98th Partnership for Peace Course
Within the framework of the PfP Partnership Work Programme, the Swiss Government, through the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), has the honour to invite qualified representatives of National Mine Action Authorities (NMAAs) and Mine Action organisations to the “NMAS Development” training course.
This five-day intensive course aims to further strengthen the relationships between key overarching principles of land release, all reasonable effort, risk management, quality management and information management for the development of national standards. These are the key areas to improve safety, efficiency, effectiveness and quality, thereby ensuring confidence in mine action outputs.
The training is aimed at mine action staff and practitioners from affected countries, responsible for the development of NMAS, managers of MA agencies, as well as officials from donor countries, and other participants as specifically selected by the Swiss Ministry of Defence and the GICHD.
NOTE: The training course is subject to the final budget availability. Everyone interested in the training course is welcomed to apply by the deadline of 05th April 2024. However, all applicants are kindly requested not to proceed with any logistical arrangements before the final confirmation is received from the GICHD.
Topics
From
To
00Objective
Course objectives
The objectives of the course are to:
- Outline the role of IMAS and their key principles and concepts affecting the development of NMAS;
- Source information required to identify the scope of NMAS;
- Source information required to support the development of NMAS; and
- Draft NMAS guided by IMAS.
00Program and Method
The course includes presentations, discussions, and country scenario-based group work.
The completion of the course is subject to post course evaluation where participant will be required to submit a revised or new NMAS within 6 months of course completion. These sessions will cover effective and efficient implementation of national QMS to complement risk management (including threat analysis and threat assessment), information management and land release methods and the definition of concepts such as “All Reasonable Effort” and “Conformance”.
This course is a blended approach of online and in person training in Spiez, Switzerland
The IMAS provide guidance, establish principles and, in some cases, define international requirements and specifications for the mine action sector. They are designed to improve the safety, efficiency, and quality in mine action, and to promote a common and consistent approach to the conduct of mine action operations. The IMAS are the main guide for the development of National Mine Action Standards(NMAS), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and training material in mine action. The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) is mandated with developing and maintaining the IMAS. Drafting, re-viewing and revising the IMAS is conducted by a technical Review Board with the support of international, governmental and non-governmental organisations. This process is managed and coordinated by the GICHD
Pre- course requirements (e-learning modules)
Participants will be required to pass courses of online e -learning as a prerequisite to in-person course attendance. Selected candidates will be informed by email with a link and instructions for the completion of the pre-course online work. This will be sent prior to the in-person course with sufficient time to enable completion.
Pre-course learning will include the following GICHD e-learning modules:
- Introduction to Gender and Diversity in Mine Action.
- Understanding the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) (certificate required to be submitted at the application level)
- Introduction to Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) Essentials
- Introduction to GIS (Geographical Information System) for mine action e-learning course (optional; access will be given separately)
Selected Participants who fail to complete the pre-course material successfully may be removed from the in-person course.
00Participants
The registration time frame (to a maximum of 30 participants) will be completed by the 05th April 2024.
The course is aimed at mine action officials and practitioners from mine affected countries, officials from mine action agencies in donor countries, and other representatives as specifically selected by the Swiss Ministry of Defence and the GICHD.
This course is also designed for National Officers and military personnel responsible for or engaged in the development of National Mine Action Standards (NMAS), who are conversant with IMAS.
It is also relevant for military personnel, responsible for pre-deployment trainings of EOD experts or engineer units in the framework of peace support operations.
Course is open to NATO/PfP, MD, ICI and Contact States
Language Requirements
Participants should also be able to communicate and present on their national standards in English. They must have the following standards of proficiency in English (as described in STANAG 6001): 3221.
▪ Listening (good / 3) ▪ Speaking (fair / 2)
▪ Reading (fair / 2) ▪ Writing (elementary/ 1)
Language requirements are compulsory and have to be confirmed by applicants’ superiors - No interpreters are provided for this course.
Applicants are asked to fill out the online application form and upload an updated CV and an endorsement letter from their organisation, signed by their supervisor. The deadline for applications is 05 April 2024 close of business. For any questions, please contact pfp@gichd.org.
Visa
Do you need a letter of support for your visa application? Please indicated yes or no in the online application form.
Candidates who are not selected or meet the prerequisite criteria are encouraged to consult our calendar of events to apply for subsequent training courses through the GICHD training website.
00Cost
The Swiss Government will cover participant expenses for food and accommodation while in Spiez (19 May 2024, earliest date of arrival to 25 May 2024, latest date of departure). Train tickets Zurich Airport – Spiez – Zurich Airport will be reimbursed to the participants (only second-class tickets). Flights to and from Switzerland have to be covered by the participant’s organisation.
There are limited sponsorships to and from Switzerland available. It is imperative that applicants wishing sponsorships for flights contact the GICHD pfp(at)gichd.org before registering and not later than the application deadline on 05 April 2024.
NOTE: The Swiss Armed Forces and the GICHD do not cover health care expenses. All participants are themselves responsible for obtaining adequate insurance (health, accident, and liability) or will need a governmental guarantee to cover any health care expenses incurred in Switzerland.
More Information
Course duration
Modality
Location
Switzerland