DANISH DEMINING GROUP

Opportunity Title: “2015 Mine/Explosive Remnants of War Risk Education in Northern Iraq”

Funding Opportunity Title: “15.PMWRA.Iraq.MRE.NOFO”

INDEX

1. Executive summary ...................................................................................................................... 1

2. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2

2.1. DDG Iraq ........................................................................................................................... 3

2.2. Problem statement ........................................................................................................... 3

2.3. Introduction to the geographical area of operations ......................................................... 4

3. Technical Approach and implementation ..................................................................................... 5

3.1. Scope of the project .......................................................................................................... 5

3.2. Project planning ................................................................................................................ 5

3.3. Project input ..................................................................................................................... 7

4. Implementation Plan and capabilities .......................................................................................... 8

4.1. Measurable indicators ...................................................................................................... 8

4.2. Project output & outcome ................................................................................................ 9

5. Sustainability, efficIency and impact ............................................................................................... 9

5.1. Sustainability .................................................................................................................... 9

5.2. Promote U.S. foreign policy interests .............................................................................. 10

5.3. Risk & Assumptions ......................................................................................................... 10

5.4. Risk analysis & management ........................................................................................... 11

5.5. Project Field Management ............................................................................................... 11

6. Annexes ..................................................................................................................................... 12

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Organization: Danish Demining Group (DDG) Mailing Address: Borgergade 10,

DK -1002 Copenhagen Tel: +45 3373 5117 / mobile: +45 2611 0031 Fax: +45 3332 8448

Contact: Lene Rasmussen

E-mail: lene.rasmussen@drc.dk DDG Project Title:

Country/Region: Northern Iraq

Project period: 1 August 2015 to 31 July 2016.

Dollar Amount Requested from PM/WRA: $ 548,483.20

Dollar Amount Requested from other sources: Project will be co-shared with other DDG Iraq projects

Dollar Amount Requested of In-Kind Contributions: $ 0

The following document represents the Danish Demining Group’s (DDG) project narrative and technical proposal as components of DDG’s submission to the USDOS PM/WRA Notice of Funding Opportunity “15.PMWRA.Iraq.MRE.NOFO” for 2015 Mine/Explosive Remnants of War Risk Education (Mine/ERW RE) in Northern Iraq.

DDG proposes to meet the requirements of the “15.PMWRA.Iraq.MRE.NOFO” with the following project design:

The overall objective of the project is to increase civilian security by protecting lives and property through education to the public about the risk of mines and other ERW in Northern Iraq (including the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI)).

The specific project objective is, in close cooperation with Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency (IKMAA), Iraqi Directorate of Mine Action (DMA), Danish Refugee Council (DRC), other Mine Action actors and the wider INGO community, to increase the awareness amongst Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and refugees in Northern Iraq of the threat from mines and ERW by establishing and deploying a Mine/ERW Risk Education (MRE) capacity capable of reaching the most affected populations and, if security permits, provide Mine/ERW RE to the returnees as they repossess their homes in the former conflict areas.

Objective #1: Staff recruitment and training.

DDG Mine/ERW RE trainers are trained by the DDG Mine/ERW RE consultant and able to undertake Mine/ERW RE activities according to International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and National MRE standards. Certified operational staff (RE Trainers) will subsequently proceed onto engaging in direct Mine/ERW RE Sessions and RE Training-of-Trainers (ToT) with targeted beneficiaries.

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Profile of target population: Staff recruited in close co-operation with DRC and IKMAA/DMA

Length of time to fully satisfy objective: 6 weeks

Objective #2: ERW RE in local community institutions and IDPs/Refugee Camps.

Targeted Iraqi IDPs and Syrian refugees are aware of the risks relating to mines and ERW and understand the nature of risk-taking behaviours.

Once identified and trained, the Mine/ERW RE teams will start conducting RE through local community institutions. Furthermore, the teams will when deemed sufficiently capable be trained to conduct ToT for Mine/ERW RE focal points in the camps.

Profile of target population: Civilian Iraqi IDPs and Syrian refugees in IDP/refugee camps in Northern Iraq and KRI and if security permits returnees to former conflict areas.

Length of time to fully satisfy objective: 10 months

Target Population: Iraqi IDPs and Syrian refugees, incl. children and adolescents

The beneficiaries of RE activities fall into two groups:

a) Direct Beneficiaries are those individuals who directly benefit from newly attained knowledge, i.e. awareness of the hazards relating to ERW and the ability to reduce the risk of interaction by avoiding potential sources of harm when going about daily activities.

b) Indirect beneficiaries are those people who profit from the direct beneficiaries’ heightened sense of safety by receiving information and guidance from and following the lead of the direct beneficiaries.

The project will target 12 DRC managed Iraqi IDP and Syrian refugees’ camps in Erbil and Duhok and, if security permits, returnees to former conflict areas in Kurdistan and Northern Iraq.

The target groups and messages will be specified once DDG is operational on the ground.

Based on previous surveys in the region, we can assume that the most at risk population is:

- Children, as they are curious and often pick up and play with unfamiliar objects; - Young males collecting or picking up dangerous objects to show off; - Adult males presently going back and forth to contaminated areas, and moving UXO to secure

the house once back home; - All returnees crossing contaminated areas while going back home1.

2. INTRODUCTION

DDG, the Humanitarian Mine Action Department of DRC was established in 1997, and has been integrated in DRC’s international department since 2007. DDG’s mine action services are based on three instruments of international law that apply specifically to landmines and explosive remnants of war: the Anti-personal Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa treaty), 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) with additional protocol V from 2003 addressing the Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) and the 2008 Convention on cluster munitions (CCM).

Globally DDG has been funded by a wide range of donors including the USDOS PMWRA, International/foreign assistance departments of governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Sweden,

1 See e.g. DRC/DDG KAP-survey, Hatay, Turkey, December 2014

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Germany, Japan and Netherlands, the organizations of ECHO, EC, UNMAS, UNVTF, UNDP, UNHCR and numerous private donors.

2.1. DDG Iraq

DDG has worked in Southern Iraq, Basra governorate since 2003, successfully providing mine ERW RE and performing Community Liaison (CL) work in addition to Battle Area Clearance (BAC) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) within Basra Governorate. Through capacity building of Iraqi staff it gradually expanded and as of 2014 had two international staff and 110 nationals.

DDG is currently setting up an organisational structure in Northern Iraq with the following capacities. As can be seen from the organigram the additional three teams proposed in this proposal will as mentioned provide a significant augment to the existing RE capacity:

DDGs presence in KRI is supported by the DRC operation, which has been working in Iraq since 2003. With offices in Baghdad, Erbil and Duhok, DRC is providing assistance to the Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs through NFI distribution, WASH, Shelter, Livelihoods, Cash Assistance and Protection activities. DRC is also assisting the local government in Camp Management and Camp Administration, specifically for Basirma and Qushtapa camps, and has activities in 10 additional camps. Furthermore, DRC initiated three community centres in Duhok town, Zakho and Erbil for both IDPs and refugees.

Within the MENA region, DDG operates in Libya/Tunisia, executing Community Safety activities, ERW Risk Education, Battle Area Clearance (BAC) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) to the affected civilian populations. In Turkey and Syria DDG is providing Mine/ERW RE to Syrian IDPs and refugees.

2.2. Problem statement

Since the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980, Iraq has been subject to a number of internal and external conflicts, including two internationally led military interventions, and most recently the heavy fighting between the Iraqi army, supported by the military forces of Iraqi Kurdistan, and Islamic State (IS). The decades of warfare have left the country heavily contaminated by mines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW).

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The conflict with IS coupled with the on-going war within Syria has created a growing humanitarian crisis and more than a million refugees and Internal Displaced People (IDPs) (app. 850,000 IDPs and 250,000 refugees)2 have fled their homes and have now settled in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), in search of safety and assistance. Numerous organisations including DDG’s parent organisation, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), are involved in the vast effort to provide this mass influx of people with food, water, shelter, health support and other essentials necessary to life, but very few organisation are addressing the lingering threat from ERW, the legacy of the decades of warfare.

The more than a million displaced people that are currently seeking refuge in KRI from the on-going conflicts in Iraq and Syria find themselves at the nexus of two separate ERW related issues; firstly the three regions of the KRI where they are seeking refuge are amongst the four most heavily ERW contaminated regions in Iraq (the other being Basra governance)3 and secondly, their former homes may have been deliberately mined or booby-trapped by IS to prevent their safe return and contaminated with Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) from the conflict4.

2.3. Introduction to the geographical area of operations

DDG is presently establishing an office in Erbil and will cohabit with DRC in Duhok for operations in and around the city. Erbil and Duhok have 111,000 and 100,000 refugees respectively in addition to a large number of IDPs. DRC is presently managing 12 IDP and refugee camps of which four are in Erbil and eight are in Duhok totaling 150,000 IDPs and refugees. The operation will initially focus on these 12 camps, but if security permits, Mine/ERW RE teams will be dispatched to the former conflict areas in Ninewa to provide Mine/ERW RE to the returned population.

2 www.iomiraq.net & http://www.unocha.org/iraq 3DDG Assessment Mission Report Kurdish Region of Iraq/Northern Iraq, September 2014 4 See for example PM/WRA: Republic of Iraq, ISIL insurgency, 01 October 2014

Erbil and Duhok, Kurdish Region of Iraq

Ninewa

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3. TECHNICAL APPROACH AND IMPLEMENTATION

Given the huge numbers seeking refuge in the region and the particular threat posed to potential returnees5, DDG is presently in the process of establishing a programme consisting of two main elements; a Mine/ERW RE capacity to deliver training designed to enable people to identify, avoid and report the particular threat presented by both mines, ERW and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), and secondly a technical capacity able to perform emergency EOD.

The DDG programme is initially being established in direct support of DRC to provide Mine/ERW RE supported by EOD as an additional element to their current humanitarian assistance package. In parallel to this, survey work and coordination with other Mine Action actors as well as the IKMAA, the DMA and the wider (I)NGO community will inform future operational planning and ensure the most efficient use of the limited resources.

Thus, as DDG is already in the area and in the process of establishing a Mine Action programme that will address the threats to the displaced population attempting to return to Northern Iraq’s former conflict areas and/or Syria, additional MRE teams will augment this effort and ensure broader coverage and the possibility of reaching more returnees. In cooperation with DRC and coordinated through the IKMAA, DDG will have immediate and unrestrained access to a large number of IDPs and refugee camps, which will be the first step towards a safer future for the returnees.

3.1. Scope of the project

DDG intends to deploy 3 Mine/ERW Risk Education teams of 1 team leader, 4 trainers (of which one will be the driver), and 12 IDP/Refugee Camp RE focal points to conduct Mine/ERW Risk Education sessions in and around the areas proposed for this project.

The overall objective of the project is to increase civilian security by protecting lives and property through education to the public about the risk of mines and other ERW in Northern Iraq and the Kurdish region of Iraq.

Specific Project Objective:

The specific project objective is, in close cooperation with IKMAA, DMA, DRC, other Mine Action actors and the wider INGO community, to increase the awareness amongst IDPs and refugees in Northern Iraq of the threat from mines and ERW by establishing and deploying a Mine/ERW RE capacity capable of reaching the most affected populations and, if security permits, provide Mine/ERW RE to the returnees as they repossess their homes in the former conflict areas.

3.2. Project planning

The proposed activities will be implemented by the DDG. The activities will be closely coordinated with IKMAA and DMA and other implementing partner(s) within the same area of expertise. The present proposal is based on current available information and assessments of humanitarian assistance needs; organizational and institutional knowledge, as well as the experience of DDG to rapidly provide assistance in the form of training and management capacity to reduce the risk of the Iraqi IDPs and Syrian refugees with respect to mines and ERW.

DDG fully recognizes the increasingly difficult and volatile situation in Northern Iraq forcing the population to flee their homes and seek shelter and basic services in temporary settlements. . Due to

5 DDG Assessment Mission Report Kurdish Region of Iraq/Northern Iraq, September 2014

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the present conflict and a history of conflicts in Iraq and Syria, the civilian population is faced with the threat of mines and ERW as they attempt to return to or make a living in their native areas. DDG, together with DRC, is in a unique position to target the conflict affected population, in particular children and youth, to instill a better understanding of the threats and dangers involved in living and working in a mine and ERW contaminated area.

This project will run for a total of 12 months (10 operational months) and consists of three phases described in detail below.

Phase I: Mobilization & training (1.5 month)

Mine/ERW RE trainers are trained and able to undertake RE activities

Identification and recruitment of the Mine/ERW RE teams. Training of the RE teams. Production of Mine/ERW RE material for direct sessions, training and safety briefings. Production of the visibility material (uniforms).

Phase II: Operation/Activities (10 months)

Targeted Iraqi population is aware of the risks relating to mines and ERW.

Deployment of Mine/ERW RE trainers. Deployment of support staff for the interventions. Delivery of direct sessions addressed to target groups. Awareness campaign through community leaders and community centers. Training of 12 Mine/ERW focal points. Training of civil society stakeholders and monitoring of the implemented ERW RE activities. Collection of information from the ground to ensure targeted messages, material and specify at-

risk population. Monitoring of the impact.

The operational phase of this project is expected to start immediately upon the agreement of a contract with USDOS.

Phase III: Demobilization (1 week)

Demobilization of recruited staff. Collection and storage of all equipment and materials. Project conclusion and final reporting.

Towards the end of this project DDG will seek to maintain the Mine/ERW Risk Education capacity through other means of funding sought from a wider donor base. If it is not possible to retain all or any part of this capacity, DDG will not renew employment contracts. All issued equipment and material will be accounted for prior to the release of final salary payments. Provision of annual leave and severance pay is a contractual obligation for DDG, calculated against an individual’s months of employment where staff will go on annual leave and DDG will provide them the severance pay during this period. A full project report detailing the work carried out and the impact of the project on affected communities, including financial reports, will be prepared and submitted to the USDOS to conclude project implementation, according to agreed requirements.

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3.3. Project input

DDG is asking for a total contribution of 548,483.20 US dollars to cover the initial recruitment, training and equipping of 3 x Mine/ERW Risk Education Teams as well as their operational running costs for 10 months and a contribution to the overall programme support costs.

Each team will comprise of the following staff:

3 X RE team leader 9 X RE trainer 3 X RE trainer/driver

Under the umbrella of DRCs existing programme in Northern Iraq/KRI, DDG intends to recruit and train three five-man teams to carry out the Mine/ERW RE. The International Mine/ERW RE Consultant will undertake the recruitment and training. The teams will consist of one RE team leader, three RE trainers and one trainer/driver for each team.

Once recruited and trained the teams will be undergoing on-job-training supervised by the International Mine/ERW RE consultant, until they are able to function independently and in time as trainers-of-trainers. This will in addition to ordinary Mine/ERW RE sessions allow for the training of the 12 IDP/refugee camp Mine/ERW RE Focal points, which under the guidance of the DRC Camp staff will reinforce, the Mine/EW RE messages and support the practical application of the messages among the camp residents.

DDG adopts a community-based approach, emphasizing the importance of local ownership and the participation of communities at risk, and all activities undertaken are therefore performed with the participation of beneficiaries - both prior to and following the implementation. This includes participation of marginalized groups, e.g. women and minority ethnic groups. DDG furthermore adheres to the UN Gender Guidelines for Humanitarian Mine Action and has developed a Gender Mainstreaming Vision. The Mine/ERW teams will contain of at least one woman each, and DDG will ensure a relevant distribution of Kurdish and Arabic speaking teams to be able to reach all displaced ethnicities, while also attempting to somewhat mitigate the effects of the present spate of forceful removal of Arabs from the Peshmerga controlled areas.

The teams will be tasked to gather the information about the outcomes of mine action activities conducted through meetings with local communities and impact assessment. All data collected will be disaggregated by sex, age and gender (SADD), ensuring that the different capabilities, areas of responsibilities, needs and priorities of different groups, hereunder women, are taken into account. With the impact monitoring assessment conducted, DDG aims to produce impact monitoring reports from the communities benefiting from this project.

The three teams will primarily be conducting Mine/ERW RE in the 12 DRC supported IDP and refugee camps in Erbil and Duhok. Depending on number of returning IDPs and if security permits, the teams will be in addition be deployed to target people returning to repossess their homes in the former conflict areas in Iraq, and in cooperation with DRC attempt to alleviate any major challenges arising from the presence of mines and ERW until such time as explosive ordnance disposal can be deployed to remove the immediate threat. Unfortunately, given the present level of contamination in Iraq the complete clearance of mines and ERW will take decades if not centuries, why DDG is also in the process of establishing roving EOD teams to remove the most severe threats to the affected communities.

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The Mine/ERW RE trainers will ensure that the RE sessions will be simple, interactive and relevant for the beneficiaries and thus as much as possible based on available information on the level and type of contamination and the issues that arise from their presence.

All activities will be coordinated with IKMAA and DMA and the major Mine Action actors in the area, which should mitigate the risk of duplication and ensure a standardisation of Mine/ERW RE messages and material.

A full budget is attached at Annex A.

4. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND CAPABILITIES

4.1. Measurable indicators

The logical framework below shows the SMART compliant measurable indicators for the objectives of this project.

Objective Hierarchy Verifiable Indicators Means of Verification

Overall objective: To increase civilian security by protecting lives and propertythrough education of the public about the risk of mines and ERW in Northern Iraq

Specific objective: To increase the awareness amongst IDPs and refugees in Northern Iraq of

the threat from mines and ERW

Reduction of mine and ERW related injuries and casualties among

potential and actual returnees6

DDG Training records

DDG Weekly activity report

National IMSMA database

National casualty statistics

Output: Mine/ERW RE sessions provided to

targeted populations focal points educated in mine/ERW RE

4,800 MRE session undertaken

120,000 people undergone MRE

11 number of MRE focal points trained

DDG Weekly

activity report

DDG MRE focal

point training report

Outcome: Heightened awareness among potential and actual returnees on threat from

mines and ERW

80% of beneficiaries indicating increased knowledge of the risks and

threats of mines and ERW

DDG Monitoring reports

National casualty statistics

Activities: Training and deployment of Mine/ERW RE teams

Adaptation and field-testing of Mine/ERW RE material targeting Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs;

3 Mine/ERW RE teams provided with RE ToT and deployed.

All materials developed and taken into

DDG Training records

DDG Weekly activity report

6 As mentioned it should be noted that the MRE intervention is aiming at prevention prior to return, as it is not possible identify an actual reduction of casualties as measured against a baseline.

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Identifying target groups;

Deliver awareness raising sessions to

beneficiaries;

Liaising with national/local authorities and

IDP/refugee/host communities

use.

Target groups identified.

Mine/ERW RE delivered to 120,000 people

All necessary accreditation and support from local communities

acquired.

National IMSMA

database

National casualty

statistics

4.2. Project output & outcome

Expected outputs:

The first month consist of recruitment and training of the teams, before deployment to the field. A five-man team can undertake 8 sessions per day reaching no more than 25 people per session, hence reaching 200 beneficiaries per day per team. 3 teams working 5 days per week, 4 weeks per months for 10 months will reach a total of 120,000 beneficiaries, provided the teams have access to locations and beneficiaries and are not hampered by a deteriorating security situation and other unforeseeable obstacles.

In addition, DDG aims at training one camp Mine/ERW RE focal point in each of the 12 IDP/refugee camps that DRC is involved in.

Expected outcome:

Reducing casualties from mines and ERW through educating the local population about the risk of mines and ERW and destroying mines and ERW.

As the returnees have not yet returned or are just in the process of returning to the former conflict areas, there is no baseline and it will not be possible to show a reduction of number of mines/ERW casualties. Thus the outcome will be an enhanced level of awareness of the threats and dangers presented by the legacy of the fighting. It should, however, also be noted that no matter how much education and information people receive, there will always be casualties, as long as the contamination exists.

5. SUSTAINABILITY, EFFICIENCY AND IMPACT

5.1. Sustainability

The proposed DDG mine/ERW Risk Education activities are primarily aimed at concentrating on reducing the impact of ERW incidents, accidents and extending humanitarian access. This can be achieved through the preventive design and delivery of appropriate messages aimed at creating an awareness of the ERW threats at hand; avoidance of the ERW threats at hand; and reporting of the suspected ERW hazards to the relevant authorities to prevent further risk of harm. In order to ensure a cohesive risk reduction process that strives to meet quality standards, DDG believes it is imperative that a highly flexible and responsive stance is adopted to allow the project to adapt to fluent contextual factors and possibly re-designing specific aim(s) of the project as the project is implemented. This also entails continuous monitoring of training and practice to ensure the relevance of the messages. To this end DDG wishes to ensure a longer term mentoring & monitoring role

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through the presence of DDG ERW Risk Education specialist staff in KRI and Iraq. These staffs is also responsible for initiating Refresher Trainings for the ERW RE trainers and RE focal points, coordination with KRI and Iraqi authorities of ERW RE activities and reporting to IKMAA and DMA of data collected during ERW RE sessions.

DDG continuously reviews its operational methodology to ensure the most economical use of assets available and to maximize the operational efficiency. DDG Iraq recognizes the strategic importance of supporting and encouraging national staff development. By providing opportunities that can challenge and increase their capacity to both access and effectively manage funds and operations, DDG positively contributes to their efforts to manage and administer national mine action initiatives. DDG ensures individual ownership of operations by employing and training as many local staff as is viable within the requirements of the task. This enables local people to contribute, in the broadest sense, to the rehabilitation of their own country and increases individual and collective confidence. The provision of regular and reliable income for local people can serve to regenerate local economies after years of conflict and economic disruption by acting as the catalyst for trade and services and can contribute towards a growing level of sustainable socio-economic development.

5.2. Promote U.S. foreign policy interests

DDG will enhance public awareness of the benefits of Conventional Weapons Destruction (CWD) through raising awareness among local and national staff and institutions of the need to destroy deadly mines and ERW in order to encourage peace and development in Iraq and KRI

DDG will integrate gender mainstreaming into CWD through the implementation of DDG’s gender policy, keeping in mind the UN Gender Guidelines for Mine Action Programs. This is achieved through the process of Mine/ERW RE and Impact Monitoring (IM), where both male and female beneficiaries are addressed. In addition, DDG carries out several focus group discussions (FGD) e.g. with women and men separately, both before during and after operations ends. By having mixed gender Mine/ERW RE/IM teams attached to the overall program, DDG is in a good position to approach the gender based composition in a community. The IM process can further be used to assess whether women achieve equally increased opportunity in regard to safe access and livelihood improvements.

It should be noted that DDG’s overall goal is to assist the KRG and Government of Iraq Mine Action Programs national/regional priorities for mine action services.

5.3. Risk & Assumptions

For DDG to see a successful implementation of the activities proposed under this project a number of risk assumptions and pre-conditions must be fulfilled. The success of the project hinges on a number of assumptions and pre-conditions: 1. That the current level of security does not deteriorate further or adversely affect the ability of DDG

to implement its planned activities. 2. That DDG is given permission from the IKMAA and/or DMA to operate. 3. That DDG’s portfolio in Iraq is capable to secure sufficient funding to support overall programme

implementation during 2016. 4. The security situation remains comparatively stable and does not restrict access to beneficiaries. 5. The relevant authorities, including IKMAA, remain supportive of proposed activities. 6. Continuous access to the IDP/refugee camps. 7. Access to returnees in former conflict areas.

8. Political Environment remains conducive for implementation of activities.

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5.4. Risk analysis & management

DDG has 13 years of experience working in Iraq and the region, and has only experienced minor security issues in Southern Iraq. On a few occasions DDG has had to stop operations and suspend tasks due to localized security issues; however, DDG staff has never been exposed to abduction or kidnapping in Iraq.

More generally, security across Iraq is recognized as the main risk and constraint to operations and activities. DDG already has in place protocols deemed commensurate to the problem and will work to ensure that the effect of the risks and assumptions listed above are kept, where possible, to a minimum. For the areas selected for activities the employment of locally recruited staff should engender DDG to communities reducing the likelihood of localized security issues.

DDG avoids organizational identifiers on vehicles and instead uses national mine action identifiers. DDG does this in place of armored vehicles and sees no reason to change this approach at this time.

DDG recognizes that the security situation is in constant flux and will continue to remain proactive by working with national staff, local populations and our own security providers to ensure that existing mitigation measures are adapted to the prevailing environment. DDG is also in contact with internationally recognized security information sources such as the International NGO Security Office (INSO) and use an IMAP database recording security incidents across the country.

DDG fully understands the risks and constraints involved with the implementation of this project.

DDG follows a results based management framework that is structured according to the rules and regulations of the Danish Refugee Council Programme Handbook. This document sets out the guidelines and principles for the organization’s management structure. In this regard, the organization has a comprehensive quality management and oversight framework built on a system of monthly and quarterly reporting. Quantitative and qualitative data is collected during this process and used to measure progress achieved by individual projects and large scale programs.

DDG Iraq maintains both paper and electronic records to ensure that all financial, logistical and operational information is maintained to required standards and disseminated when applicable. This includes the stakeholders such as IKMAA, DMA and their Regional offices, and DDG’s Copenhagen Headquarters and regional offices. All Mine Action interventions, activities are performed in line with policy guidelines from the IKMAA and DMA, and operational coordination from the IKMAA and DMA and relevant regional offices. (See Annex X for DMA accreditation).

5.5. Project Field Management

Operations under this project will fall under the responsibility of existing management structures at DDG Iraq HQ in Erbil. To support this process, DDG will make use of expats and senior national staff already funded and attached to the overall DRC/DDG program portfolio in Iraq. CVs have been enclosed on those managers who will have direct responsibility towards project implementation (Annex C). Additional CVs such as for the DDG Iraq Country Director and other senior staff can be shared per request.

All activities are conducted in line with International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and National Technical Guidelines and Standards (NTGS), the policy guidelines for the IKMAA/DMA and DDGs own SOPs. All operational data is recorded in compliance with the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) and reported to IKMAA/DMA. DDG mine action activities are framed within a quality management structure that combines the various levels of quality assurance.

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Recruitment of staff will be instigated and logistical issues arranged as soon as the agreement is confirmed. Training of Mine/ERW RE staff will commence as soon as personnel is available and is expected to take up to three weeks, including recruitment, followed by 10 months of implementation with the closure of project scheduled to last a single week, if no funding for continuation is obtained.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems are integrated at multiple levels within DDG programs and form an integral component of all project designs. All of the operational capacities funded on this project will submit regular daily, weekly or monthly reports. Regular interface between the project team will take place at weekly and/or monthly coordination meetings at a field level, at which progress against objectives and operational challenges will be discussed. Copenhagen HQ will plan monitoring visits to the DDG Iraq program, and report on the intervention. A minimum of one visit and monitoring report per year will be produced. During monitoring visits DDG activities will be tested by internal quality assurance and quality control processes, and program impact is checked to ensure the realization of goals and that impact monitoring post-intervention is being undertaken.

6. ANNEXES

ANNEX A – Budget ANNEX B – Budget narrative

ANNEX C – CV of senior staff member attached to WRA project

ANNEX D – IMAS Accreditation Letter from DMA