Implementing Tools and Fora: Senior Managers' Course

The Senior Managers’ Course in Conventional Weapons Destruction (SMC), organized by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) at James Madison University (JMU), brings together senior-level managers from mine action and other CWD programs for training that integrates the latest thinking in the field of business management with the practical experience of ERW and mine action operators. Funded by PM/WRA, the SMC hones the expertise of senior managers of national mine action programs and local implementing partners so that countries can more effectively and efficiently clear landmines and ERW. During three weeks of instruction and field visits participants refine their management and strategic planning skills; share expertise and exchange best practices in CWD; and develop a professional network for collaboration with colleagues, international experts, JMU faculty, CISR staff, and donor representatives.

From the first course in 2004 through 2018, CISR has trained 292 senior managers representing 48 countries. Prior to 2010, the SMC was sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme. Beginning in 2010, PM/WRA has sponsored the SMC, including global courses held at JMU in the United States and a series of regionally focused SMCs hosted with the help of local implementing partners in Tajikistan, Vietnam, and Croatia. In 2019, CISR will host a Global SMC at JMU in Harrisonburg, Virginia to bring together senior managers from across regions and technical backgrounds.

In 2018, CISR, along with the Tajikistan National Mine Action Center (TNMAC), implemented its second Regional SMC for South and Central Asia in Dushanbe, Tajikistan for 25 senior managers representing CWD programs in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. CISR and TNMAC staff organized English and Russian translation for all instructional sessions and written materials to expand the course’s accessibility in the region. In addition to two weeks of managerial instruction, participants attended technical demonstrations by CWD experts working directly on mine action and SA/LW destruction projects in-country. http://jmu.edu/cisr

SMC participants watch a field demonstration in Tajikistan during the 2018 Regional SMC for South and Central Asia.

Photo courtesy of CISR.