The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, typically referred to as the “Ottawa Convention” or “Mine Ban Treaty,” seeks to end the use of anti-personnel landmines (APLs) worldwide. I began work with Landmine Survivors Network (LSN) in November 1997 and had the privilege to be in Ottawa on 3 December, 1997 when the Mine Ban Treaty was open for signature. As Director of LSN’s Overseas Programs, my work was focused on establishing Amputee Support Networks in six mine-affected countries (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jordan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and El Salvador). These Networks were my direct responsibility for five years.

Due to my depth of knowledge and experience in Bosnia-Herzegovina, I served as the first researcher for initial country assessment for the Landmine Monitor (1999) and also provided follow-on content for the 2000 publication. Please see attached links.

http://www.the-monitor.org/en-gb/reports/1999/landmine-monitor-1999.aspx

http://www.the-monitor.org/en-gb/reports/2000/landmine-monitor-2000.aspx

In the late 1990s, the Mine Action playing field was nascent as was the understanding of “Victim Assistance”. I authored “Defining the Pillar of Victim Assistance” which was published in the Fall 1999 Journal of Mine Action (Vol. 3 No. 3). Please see attached link.

http://www.jmu.edu/cisr/journal/3.3/index.htm

I served on the Survey Action Center’s (SAC’s) Board of Directors from 2003-2008. Although the Mine Action Community has expanded to include Cluster Munitions, I have a strong foundation in this sector and am well versed in the principles and concepts.

Are you looking for input on an existing mine-action or victim assistance program? Could your organization benefit from technical input on programming strategies in this area?