MRead attendance at the  27th UN National Directors Meeting (NDM): 29 April – 01 May 2024 and a visit to The HALO Trust Headquarters in Dumfries, Scotland

The UN 27th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisors for a small startup such as ours was extremely useful. To be able to see the National Directors and the supporting and enabling organisations and agencies was gold dust. The three days were open, honest and enabled small organisations such as ours to mingle, discuss issues and better understand how we can support them. It really brought the realities and challenges to life. It was also a great opportunity to catch up with some old friends.In addition,

Her Excellency Ms Amanda Gorely, the Australian Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations has been a wonderful example of making a difference and she has been a great ambassador for us, including hosting a lunch for us so we could meet some of the key players in Geneva.

The fact that 60 million people are affected by mines and explosive ordnance in over 60 countries and territories worldwide is a terrible statistic. The outstanding work the mine action organisations undertake and especially their teams on the ground who are facing the harshest environmental conditions in war zones is humbling but also invigorating when you see the difference they make to these shattered communities. However, there is still so much to be done and we need to find new and better ways to address this.

Our own journey over the last 18 months has been strongly supported by many organisations and individuals who attend these meetings. The partnership with RFC Ambrian, CSIRO and Minelab Metal Detectors has been excellent and we would be nowhere as advanced as we are without the advice and support of the NGOs and agencies that support demining. We have learned so much from them.

During the Conference, I was also extremely fortunate to be able to spend some time with James Cowan the CEO of The HALO Trust. This was immediately after our excellent visit to The HALO Trust Headquarters in Dumfries for an extended session on how we could further develop our partnership. The location (and the weather) was just amazing! My sincere thanks to the whole HALO team who were extremely generous with their time and advice on the significant complexities and logistics of moving people and equipment around the world.

We are very much looking forward to continuing to develop our sensor in the coming months with lane trials scheduled in Brisbane hosted by EPE. Trusted To Protect followed by field trials with The HALO Trust in Angola. It is a very exciting time and we are moving at a rapid pace!‍

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