Let's Recap: CISR staff attends 18th International Mine Action Symposium in Croatia
Symposium Summary: 18th International Mine Action Symposium May 2-4, 2022
Written by Sabryn Doston, CISR Publications Assistant
CISR staff attended the 18th International Mine Action Symposium hosted in Vodice, Croatia, from May 2- 4, 2022. The symposium was comprised of a wide variety of humanitarian mine action (HMA) organizations and provided a platform for experts in many sectors of the HMA field to share their knowledge and experience. The 18th International Symposium Mine Action event was held in cooperation with the Directorate of Civil Protection, under the patronage of the Croatian Parliament and with The French Republic as this yearâs partner country. Managing Director of the Center for Testing, Development, and Training, Katarina Markt, introduced the symposium and thanked its contributors to kick off the mine action event.
The first topic of the event was the Standardization of Training in the Field of Mine Action. Eight presentations were given outlining the most recent initiatives in standardized training in the HMA field by a variety of presenters. This set of presentations addressed the strengths and weaknesses of introducing standardized testing into the HMA field and emphasized the pressing need for competence and deep understanding of the content when looking at training procedures.
The second session of the day focused on the topic of land release. Land release is especially prevalent due to its relevance to Ukraineâs rapidly increasing land contamination. This set of presentations weaved through multiple facets of land release, ranging from how difficult clearing land in Tajikistan is due to its mountainous geography to the ongoing challenges of releasing land in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The presentations concluded with speakers spotlighting the current contamination faced in Ukraine.
The second day of the symposium opened with an outline of research and development in mine action. The presentations highlighted advancements and initiatives in the technological and mechanical aspects of HMA. This series of presentations was a podium for HMA organizations and affiliated businesses to showcase their technology and mechanical devices and to demonstrate the benefit of their creations. Many of these presentations were focused on land clearance operations and how their technology would best be able to identify explosives above and below the surface of the ground. Equipment producers were spotlighted during the presentation as well, giving them a platform to show off their most recent and successful mechanical equipment in the HMA sector.
One particularly interesting method of landmine detection was presented by Ross Gillanders from St. Andrews University. During his presentation, Biological Methods (Bees) for Explosives Detection: a summary, he elaborated on the extensive research his team has conducted to determine if bees might be a feasible instrument in detecting explosive particles.
At the end of day two, participants of the symposium had the opportunity to visit Krka National Park in Lozovac, Croatia, a park renowned for its exceptional waterfalls and greenery.
On the final day of the conference, CISRâs Senior Project Manager, Brenna Matlock, and Publications Assistant, Sabryn Dotson, presented on The Journal of CWD. More specifically, the presentation outlined the most recent initiatives that The Journal has been implementing to ensure its accessibility for its readership and its advancements as an online publication. The symposium concluded with a demonstration of the EOD â TURNPIN Database and a presentation on demining and socio-economic integration as exampled in Croatia.
The CISR staff that attended the mine action symposium greatly enjoyed learning about the most recent initiatives in the sector and hearing new perspectives and prospective Journal topics.
