James Madison University’s Mine Action Information Center joined forces with Jordan’s National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation to host a month-long course in Amman, Jordan. The course was intended to offer training for 30 senior managers from 20 countries affected by explosive remnants of war.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PRURGENT
November 5, 2009, Amman, Jordan—The Mine Action Information Center (MAIC) at James Madison University (JMU) in Virginia has successfully partnered with the National Committee for Demining & Rehabilitation (NCDR) in Amman, Jordan, to train its first class of 30 senior managers from 20 countries affected by explosive remnants of war (ERW).
The Jordan-based version of the MAIC course had long been a dream of HRH Prince Mired Raad Z. Al-Hussein, Chairman of the NCDR in Amman, who served as president of the 8th annual Meeting of States Parties to the Ottawa Convention–an international treaty dedicated to eliminating anti-personnel (AP) landmines and the effects of AP mines globally. MAIC representatives worked with Prince Mired to host a version of the MAIC-developed course. The course was designed to offer leadership skills and operational expertise to key officials from ERW organizations around the globe. Participants included representatives from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iraq, Laos, Libya, Mozambique, Sudan and Vietnam.
The U.S. Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA) provided funding and program support for the month-long course, which was offered by NCDR in Jordan in partnership with JMU faculty and the MAIC. “The training provided a unique opportunity to develop management and policy skills among officials charged with improving sustainable development in their countries through the elimination of threats from landmines and unexploded ammunition and weapons,” says PM/WRA Jordan Program Manager Dennis Hadrick.
Prince Mired presided over the graduation ceremony, which was also attended by several high-ranking officials, including U.S. Ambassador Stephen Beecroft, JMU Vice Provost John Noftsinger, and United Nations Development Programme Country Director Jacinta Barrins, underscoring the importance of dealing with explosive remnants of war, including landmines, to achieve stability and continued development in countries coping with these “hidden killers.”
Attendees praised the forward-looking course, which combined the educational and operational talents of JMU in Virginia, and the host organization, the NCDR. Faculty from JMU’s College of Business received high marks for innovative delivery of management and leadership principles.
The success of the program, combined with expanding challenges linked to the threat of landmines and other explosive remnants of war, is prompting the organizations partnering in this venture to expand the program. MAIC (http://maic.jmu.edu) will offer its course again in spring 2010 on the campus of James Madison University in Virginia, while JMU will partner with NCDR to offer the course in Amman in fall 2010.
James Madison University’s Mine Action Information Center, which began in 1996, is a research, education and training organization that is the objective information and training source regarding international efforts to combat the effects of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). For more information, visit http://maic.jmu.edu or contact Dennis Barlow, Director, at +1.540.568.2756.
Contact Information
Dennis Barlow, Director
Center for International Stabilization and Recovery
Mine Action Information Center
James Madison University
MSC 4902
800 S. Main Street
Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA 22807
Tel: +1.540.568.2718
Cell: +1.540.820.8385
Fax: +1.540.568.8176
E-mail: barlowdc jmu.edu
Web site: http://cisr.jmu.edu or http://maic.jmu.edu
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