Our Mission Our Philosophy The personal safety and security of staff and the general public is paramount. Operating Philosophy - All work conducted within strict Standard Operating Procedures in compliance with recognized international standards. - Focus on long-term sustainability and - Cost-efficiency by building indigenous capacity through programs to train and equip local personnel. - Maintain low overhead costs so as to maximize project spending and benefits in mine-affected communities. (Note: to date less than 8 cents out of each dollar contribution has gone to pay headquarters overhead costs). CIDC’s vision is a world in which - Innocent civilians are no longer victimized by landmines. - CIDC is working to clear landmines and provide mine risk education, thereby helping prevent further senseless casualties. - Survivors of mine-strike accidents are properly cared for in terms of their physical, emotional and economic needs. (Note: it is estimated that there are now 400,000 survivors around the world in need of continuing assistance). Accomplishments and Future Aspirations - CIDC is Canada’s leading demining organization. - CIDC is proud of its past but much more needs to be done (particularly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East). CIDC continues to seek new projects, including related relief and development programming, wherever funding can be found to match needs. What can the general public do to help? Gain greater awareness of the landmine problem, and become more educated in general about personal security and development issues. Support increased global funding for humanitarian mine action programming. Assist with fundraising efforts and financial contributions for Canadian and international NGOs working in mine action. Mine Action Programs At the present effort of demining it is estimated it will require many years and billions of U.S. dollars to eradicate the landmines that now lay planted. Mine-action programs to date have focused on survey, detection, clearance, technical assessments and demining equipment procurement services. Geographically they cover Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ecuador, Jordan, Kosovo, Macedonia, Mozambique, Peru, South Lebanon, Taiwan and Thailand; and they include substantial programs such as... Mined-area impact survey in Mozambique (a national survey to locate, map and assess socio-economic impacts of mined areas throughout the country, as part of a global survey initiative undertaken by the UN). Mine detection dog programs in Bosnia, Croatia and Lebanon serving NGO demining organizations, Civil Protection authorities, CROMAC, NATO / SFOR, Entity Armies, NDO and others (including CIDC's own mine detection dog division, Canine Countermine). Emergency response demining and clearance of unexploded ordnance in Kosovo. Public sector funding is provided mainly by Canada (CIDA and DFAIT), but also by a growing number of European donors. In addition, generous contributions have been received from private sector donors ranging from multi-national corporations to smaller groups of citizens such as student groups and concerned individuals. CIDC is a member of the Mines Action Canada and Cooperation Canada Mozambique coalitions, and has recently established joint programming with the Mines Advisory Group. US Senators Against Mines The Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty, formally the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, bans completely all anti-personnel landmines (AP-mines). It has been signed/accessioned by 154 countries since 1997. Forty countries have yet to sign, including the People's Republic of China, Russia and The United States... Senators Patrick Leahy (Democrat-VT) and Arlen Specter (Republican-PA) have introduced the "Victim-activated Landmine Abolition Act of 2006" (S.3768). This bill prohibits the United States from procuring landmines and other victim-activated weapons under any circumstances. While not banning the use of landmines, Congressional adoption of this bill would constitute an essential step toward a total ban by enacting a legislative freeze of the production of landmines and other weapons that are set off by a victim. It would halt plans to produce new antipersonnel mine systems, including the system. In the time you spend browsing through five web-sites, one person is unnecessarily killed or maimed by a landmine—that’s once every 22 minutes. These are mostly civilians, often children, who accidentally step on a landmine after a conflict has ended.