Guy Rhodes is a Mine Action Specialist and Team Leader of the Land Release unit at the GICHD. The work of the Land Release team aims to improve landmine survey activities and operational planning in order to better target clearance resources. Guy Rhodes joined the GICHD in 2009 with sixteen years of work experience in conflict and post-conflict settings and in the aftermath of natural disasters. Prior to joining GICHD he was the Country Representative of the Solidar INGO Consortium in Sri Lanka (2004-2009) – a network of European NGOs implementing emergency relief and social and economic rehabilitation programmes to assist the recovery process in the wake of the Asian tsunami. Much of the work occurred in mine affected communities where demining and BAC operations were integrated with follow on reconstruction and development activities of Solidar partners. He served from 2001 to 2004 as the Chief Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Defense of Vietnam under a tripartite arrangement with the VVAF and the US State Department on a country survey of landmines and UXO. In 2000, as Country Representative in Thailand for NPA, he was responsible for the implementation of the National Landmine Impact Survey - conducted in conjunction with the Royal Thai Army. Pre millennium years were spent mostly in Africa with a stint from 1996 to 2000 in Angola where he lead a national survey and after, as Programme Manager for NPA, was responsible for a country operation based out of 5 regional centres, utilising machines, free-run & REST dogs, EOD/BAC teams, manual deminers, MRE teams, Survey teams (including the use of Casspir mine projected vehicles as survey platforms) and support for the mine database/GIS within the national authority. Prior to Angola he worked for the Halo Trust in Mozambique between 1993 and 1994 and was responsible for the landmine survey in the north of the country. In addition to permanent employment he has acted as a Mine action consultant for GICHD, SAC and UNDP conducting research and evaluations in several countries. He has a PhD in Earth Sciences from Southampton University, UK. |
