Ten nations have announced US$40 million in assistance to Laos for the removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO).
Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ International Organisations Director General Saleumxay Kommasith said on Friday that the funding resulted from the First Meeting of States Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, held in Vientiane in November last year.
“Some donor nations announced support for one-year projects while others will support us for two or three years,” he said.
Despite slow recovery from the global economic crisis, donor nations expressed commitment to help Laos remove UXO to expand arable farmland.
Laos is the world’s most UXO contaminated country per capita, with 25 percent of villages affected. The government wants between US$40 and US$50 million per year to speed clearance.
The Oslo Convention on Cluster Munitions obligates nations to ban the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions.
States party to the con-vention also agree to clear their territory of cluster bombs within a 10-year period, giving hope to Lao people that they will one day live without fear of bombs.
But experts commented that Laos may not achieve the goal of clearing UXO within that timeframe as bombs are scattered over an area of 87,000 sq km in 14 provinces. Some believe it may take more than 100 years to clear all UXO from Laos.
In 2008, the value of international aid to UXO removal in Laos was US$19 million. In 2010, the figure reached about US$20 million. These figures are not adequate to meet targets.
The international assistance for UXO removal in 2011 is still being finalised by the National Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mine Action Sector in Laos. However, Mr Saleumxay believes that the assistance will be higher than previous years.
During November’s clu ster munitions meeting, delegates from more than 100 nations visited Xieng Khuang, the most affected province in Laos, to see how progress is hindered by the presence of UXO.
As a result, some nations decided to increase their assistance.
Removal of UXO from high priority land by 2020 is the ninth Millennium Development Goal (MDG 9) in Laos. Other developing nations typically subscribe to eight goals.
MDG 9 is a new priority of the Lao government and development partners, which was adopted at a high level roundtable meeting held in Vientiane last year.
The 10 donor nations have now signed a compact in support of MDG 9. The Lao government will continue to draw attention to the compact and encourage nations to join.
Source: Vientiane Times
By Somsack Pongkhao
February 12, 2011
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