Standardization in progress

• AHG 1 - Test and Evaluation of Equipment.
  

• AHG 2 - Technical Training Assessment and Certification.
  

• AHG 3 - Existing Standards, Terminology and Definitions
  

• AHG 4 - Risk and Quality Management and Performance Indicators.
  
  

AHG1 is further split into technical workshops; two of these are dealing with Metal Detectors and Demining Machines. The Workshop involved with the T&E standards for Metal Detectors is well underway having started in December 2001. It has already started the process of drafting a CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) and, following a second meeting in April 2002, further test specifications are being added to the CWA draft. It is expected that a first draft should be completed in early 2003. Further details can be found at: http://humanitarian-security.jrc.it/demining/cw07/index.htm

After their last meeting in Sweden, the Workshop responsible for standards for Demining Machines will finalise its business plan at the end of August.

This Workshop will deal with standards for performance testing, field testing and suitable targets. The Workshop will be divided into three meetings provisionally organised as follows:

• Performance Testing, SWEDEC, Sweden, November 2002.
  
• Test Mines and Surrogate Targets, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), Switzerland, January 2003.
  
• Field-Testing, CROMAC, Croatia, April 2003.
  
  

The aim is to produce a CWA rather than a full standard since a full standard may be too prescriptive and would take a long time to formalise. It is expected that a CWA will be agreed by May 2003 with the view of introducing it into International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) in June 2003.

In addition to the CEN workshop ITEP is working alongside the CEN/BT/WG126 to produce interim guidelines for the T&E of Demining Equipment.