Standards and Operations

Harald Schmittgall joined the GICHD in April 2022 as Advisor for Operational Efficiency and Liaison to the Security Sector. In this role, he maintains and develops working relationships of the GICHD with the respective national mine action authorities.. Harald supports the development and evaluation of new and innovative approaches and methods in mine action through collaboration with mine action stakeholders both at the national and the international level, civilian and military,  to encourage and simplify exchange of experience and knowledge by developing training workshops and creating training materials and publications. Harald also advises on EOD and IEDD matters within the Centre.

Harald Schmittgall is an active officer in the German Armed Forces and seconded to the GICHD by the German Ministry of Defense. He can look back on more than 25 years of experience in the field of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD).

In addition to numerous foreign assignments in Somalia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, DR Congo and Afghanistan, he spent more than four years in Tunisia to help set up the regional center of excellence for EOD and to design and introduce a corresponding national strategy.

Harald Schmittgall is a fully trained EOD/IEDD specialist (IMAS 3+) and holds degrees as explosives engineer and safety engineer from the German Armed Forces College.

• Organisation Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)
• Division Standards and Operations
• Unit Operational Management
• E-mail h.schmittgall(at)gichd.org