Arya News - The need for sustained support is particularly important for Laos, where unexploded ordnance (UXO) remains a long-term challenge despite years of clearance work.
VIENTIANE – Laos has urged stronger international support for the clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO), saying explosive remnants still threaten lives and limit the amount of land available for development.
The call came during the High-Level Segment of the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Vientiane, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Thongsavan Phomvihane.
Mr Thongsavan said the conference would assess progress under the Convention and set a clear direction for future cooperation.
He called on member states and the international community to turn commitments into concrete action, strengthen solidarity, and put affected people and survivors at the centre of efforts.
He also urged countries to expand land clearance, provide risk education, assist survivors, encourage wider support for the Convention, and strengthen cooperation and international funding.
The need for sustained support is particularly important for Laos, where unexploded ordnance remains a long-term challenge despite years of clearance work.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Anouparb Vongnorkeo said unexploded ordnance continues to endanger lives and hinder socio-economic development.
He said the government has made addressing the UXO legacy a long-term national priority and formulated the country’s 18th National Sustainable Development Goal, “Lives Safe from UXO”.
But budget constraints continue to affect clearance efforts, making international assistance and cooperation essential, he said.
For communities affected by UXO, clearance is closely linked to everyday development. Removing unexploded ordnance makes land safer for farming and frees up land for roads and other forms of infrastructure and economic activities.
The conference also highlighted Laos’ growing role in global efforts to address cluster munitions.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Ms Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Vice President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr Jürg Lauber, and a representative of the Cluster Munition Coalition praised Laos’ efforts over the past 16 years.
Laos hosted the first meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2010 and has since played an active role in advancing international efforts to address the threat.
The current conference now looks ahead to the next five years, with delegates due to adopt three key documents: a review of progress under the Convention, the Vientiane Capital Action Plan for 2027-2031, and a Political Declaration setting out future priorities.
Senior representatives from Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and Thailand also reaffirmed their commitment to the Convention and highlighted the importance of regional cooperation.
The conference runs from September 14-18 and brings together international partners to strengthen collective action towards a world free from the threat of cluster munitions.
Laos remains the most heavily bombed country per capita in history. Between 1964 and 1973, more than 2 million tonnes of ordnance were dropped on Laos, which then had a population of about 3 million, including cluster munitions that scattered smaller bomblets.
Despite the war ending more than 50 years ago, the threat remains. From 1996 to February 5 this year, UXO Lao teams deactivated more than 2 million items of ordnance, including over 1.25 million cluster munitions.
Surveys have identified more than 254,000 hectares of hazardous areas, with ordnance removed from 101,000 hectares of land.