IMSMA News

REGIONAL SUPPORT CENTRES (RSCS)

19. The GICHD established the Regional Support Centre (RSC) concept in 2002 as a way to address the need for on-going support to its IMSMA installations in the field. The RSCs provide first level user support, assist mine action centres in reviewing their internal information management processes as well as their information exchange and communication procedures, and with general support to information management. The RSCs also organise regional user focus group meetings, training courses, and facilitate general contacts between interested countries and the GICHD. Each RSC is staffed with one person. Over the next two years the RSCs will be challenged with completing a total upgrade of all of the existing IMSMA installations.

20. The Centre currently supports four Regional Support Centres:

a) The RSC Latin America, established in 2002 and based in Managua (Nicaragua) covers Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Peru. It maintains technical contacts with the humanitarian demining programmes of the United States, the United Nations and the Organisation of American States (OAS).

b) The RSC Europe/Central Asia, established in 2003 and based in Geneva covers Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Kosovo, Macedonia, the Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, Tajikistan, and Ukraine. The RSC Europe/Central Asia also maintains technical contacts with the International Trust Fund (ITF), the South-East Europe Mine Action Co-ordination Council (SEEMACC), NATO and France.

c) The RSC Africa, established in 2003 and based in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) covers Angola, Burundi, Chad, Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia. The RSC Africa also maintains technical contacts with the African Union and other humanitarian demining programmes and projects in the region.

d) The RSC Middle East/Northern Africa, established in late 2003 in Beirut (Lebanon) covers the following countries and territories: Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Puntland, Somaliland, Sudan, Western Sahara, and Yemen.

21. During the reporting period, and besides routine work within the framework indicated above, the RSCs

a) provided assistance to a regional mine action conference in Cartagena, Colombia, in February;

b) conducted a workshop on information management in Bogota, which reviewed internal management processes and relevant information management strategies. This four day workshop was attended by 29 participants;

c) supported the Landmine Impact Survey conducted by the Survey Action Centre (SAC) in Angola;

d) supported the Puntland Mine Action Centre with regard to the Landmine Impact Survey;

e) assisted the UNMACC in Burundi in planning the respective general community survey,

f) made an assessment visit to the Zambia Mine Action Centre (ZAMAC).