Center for International Stabilization and Recovery

The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), formerly the Mine Action Information Center (MAIC), is a public policy center at James Madison University that manages information, conducts training, holds conferences and workshops, and performs research relevant to humanitarian mine clearance, victim assistance, mine risk reduction and other explosive remnants of war (ERW).

The CISR has a full-time staff that organizes faculty, students and other subject-matter experts into teams to address specific post-conflict issues. Drawing on university programs and mine-action experience, CISR  facilitates integrative approaches and innovative solutions to information and training.

History
The program began in 1996 under a  directive by the U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to serve as a humanitarian demining information clearinghouse. In 1997, it was chartered as a Department of Defense Center of Excellence. Starting in 1998, it received support from the Department of State's Vietnam Initiative, and by 2001, the Department of State was the primary supporting agency. The center works internationally; its support network includes United Nations, Canada, Switzerland, and the Slovenia International Trust Fund. In 2008 the name was changed to the present title, and the scope expanded to include all explosive remnants of war and post-conflict recovery issues. Since February 2010 the center has been directed by Dr. Kenneth Rutherford.

Journal of ERW and Mine Action
The Journal of ERW and Mine Action is a print and online magazine for the global landmine, ERW and post-conflict community. It is published three times a year; the print magazine has a circulation of 1,500, two-thirds outside the US, and the online site receives  135,000 views annually. The journal contains editorials, articles, reports, reviews, profiles dealing with current practices, new equipment and techniques, procedures, lessons learned and newsworthy information. The Journal is written by field experts along with in-house contributions, and is funded by contracts from the United States Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, and the United States Department of Defense's Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate.

Peer Support
“Pathways to Resilience” (P2R) is a regional leadership and training program for survivors of landmines and explosive ordnance injuries. The program's purpose is to develop self-confidence, emotional and physical health and life direction for landmine survivors while empowering them to help other survivors  in their country of origin. The first P2R program hosted 29 landmine survivors for a week-long peer-support program in Hamama, Lebanon from May 8-15, 2011.

Mine risk education
"We Love Life" is a theatrical play and creative arts program aimed at raising awareness in the landmine and UXO (Unexploded Ordnance)-threatened provinces of north-western Jordan.

management training
The UNDP has developed training courses for senior and middle managers of mine action programmes. Over the period of 2000-2007, 11 Senior Manager and over 40 Middle Manager Training Courses were conducted for national staff of mine action programmes, with over 800 graduates.

The UNDP awarded the Mine Action Information Center (now CISR) at James Madison University the contract to teach the Senior Managers Course beginning in 2004. The CISR hosted five courses and trained more than 100 managers from over 30 countries through the UNDP sponsored courses.

Beginning in 2010 the US Department of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement has sponsored the Senior Managers' Course at JMU. Its focus was expanded to include conventional weapons destruction, small arms/light weapons, and other emerging topics in the post-conflict recovery field.

Global Mine Action Registry
The Global Mine Action Registry is a resource database of contact information on hundreds of mine-action organizations.