The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), in partnership with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), provided a two-week training course to 15 implementing partners of the Libyan mine action community in the IMSMA tool (Information Management System for Mine Action) between March 28 and April 8, 2016. This also included a one-day workshop on information management processes on April 6.
The Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) was develop by GICHD with the goal of providing the mine action community with one comprehensive information management package. IMSMA has arguably become the most advanced and widespread IM tool in the humanitarian sector, making its applicability very much relevant for the Libyan context due to limited data availability for effective decision-making.
The training course brought together members of the Libyan mine action community from local NGOs, international NGOs, and the Libyan government, for a hands-on experience which included a final examination, certification by GICHD, and a commitment to develop a Mine Action Plan by each implementing partner. This was also an opportunity for the Libyan Mine Action Center (LibMAC) to upgrade its current database to the newest version of IMSMA.
The certification ceremony included the participation of Mr. Lance Malin, Chief and Programme Manager of UNMAS Libya, and representatives from the Libyan Mine Action Centre (LibMAC), DanChurchAid (DCA) and Danish Demining Group (DDG).
UNMAS is grateful to the Libyan partners for their lively participation in the training, demonstrating their dedication to the recovery and stabilization of Libya.
(Source: UNSMIL)