Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith

(KPL) Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith presided over the celebration of the 19th anniversary of International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on Apr 8.

The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is commemorated annually around the world on 4 April. This international day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the devastating impact of explosive remnants of war on communities long after conflicts have ended.

Under the slogan "Protecting Lives and Creating Peace", the celebration aims to not only to remember the cruel and long-lasting effects of unexploded ordnance, but also to show sympathy for the victims and the people who are still living at risk with unexploded ordnance every day to demand increased efforts to solve the problem in order to protect the lives and well-being of the Lao people, as well as to raise awareness for the whole society to be aware of the risks and dangers of unexploded ordnance that remain.

In the Lao PDR, 50% of the victims of unexploded bombs are children. In the beginning weeks of 2024, there were 10 incidents of unexploded ordnance with 21 victims. Among them, 12 were children aged between 5 and 16 years old.

Since 1996, more than 87,300 hectares of land have been cleared of unexploded ordnance with more than 1.91 million UXOs destroyed.

Since 2010, more than 200,500 ha have been confirmed contaminated with unexploded cluster bombs.

Canada, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, R. Korea, UK and Northern Ireland, US, UNDP play an important role in addressing UXO issues in the Lao PDR.

KPL