Afghanistan
The Survey Action Center (SAC), Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA) and UNDP-Kabul are preparing the working agreement to begin the landmine impact survey (LIS).

Angola
To follow-up on the US-funded Advance Survey Mission of November, Mike Kendellen was in Angola from 3-12 December to draft survey implementation plans with the the UN and NGO partners for the LIS. The director of the National Inter-Sectoral Commission for De-mining and Humanitarian Assistance (CNIDAH) signed a letter of support for the LIS. This phase of the start-up is funded by the German government.

Azerbaijan
Expert Opinion Collection has been completed and 435 communities, in 27 administrative districts and cities, have been identified as suspected of being affected by landmines and/or UXOs. The survey pilot test was conducted in 29 villages in the districts of Terter and Geranboy. In-field data collection began on 9 December. Progress, however, may be hampered by early winter conditions. SAC has approved the methodology for sampling for false negatives in conflict areas and military installations.

Bosnia-Herzegovina
Planning for the Expert Opinion Collection has begun. There are a 148 official local municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Senior staff training by the SAC team of Saeed Ahmad and Tom Haythornthwaite is scheduled for the third week in January 2003. The main portion of the in-field data collection is scheduled to begin mid-April and will continue through the end of June 2003.
 
A team was in Sarajevo for the Task Assessment and Planning pilot project. Ted Paterson, Sara Sekkenes and Greg Wickware brought valuable and varied experience to bear on the issue of task selection within high and medium impact communities. Alastair McAslan from Cranfield Mine Action (CMA) also visited during this time to begin work on the strategy planning module of the survey.

Eritrea
Senior staff training by the SAC team was conducted from December 6-18. Expert Opinion Collection is on-going. The start of data collection is scheduled to begin in April and continue through the end of June 2003.

Ethiopia
Three field offices have been established for the implementation of the LIS: (1) in Mekele of the Tigray region, (2) in Dire Dawa of the Somali region, and (3) in Awasa of the south region. Interviewer recruitment and training began. The first batch of results from the Expert Opinion Collection have been delivered. Final arrangements (permissions and logistics) are being made with the communities selected for the pilot test.

Somalia
By the end of December, 238 communities had been surveyed. The Sahil region and all accessible districts of the Togdheer region have been surveyed. Security concerns in the eastern Sool region that borders Puntland have temporarily halted data collection there. A complete assessment of the security situation and its impact on the survey will be made in early January. Data collection is expected to finish at the end of February 2003.

Survey Working Group (SWG)
The meeting of the SWG is scheduled for the first week in February 2003.

SWG Protocols
With funding provided through UNMAS, the first draft of editing the survey protocols have begun. The edting is intended to clarify operational needs of the field personnel while using a format that is ISO 9000 compliant. The SWG meeting in February will review the first draft.