Commemorating the 4th of April: International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2020

April 3, 2020

Children learn about the dangers of UXO items. Photo: UXO Lao.

VientianeThe 4th of April marks a very important occasion; the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. The United Nations General Assembly declared this day of observation on the 8th of December 2008 to foster the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities in countries where Mines and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) constitute a serious threat to the local population.

The threat faced daily by the population of Lao PDR appears in the form of UXO contamination following the Indochina War in the 60s and 70s, where some 270 million Cluster Munition Bomblets were dropped on Lao PDR; of this total it is estimated that up to 30% would have failed to detonate. These UXO are, for the most part, buried beneath the surface, and are littered across the country with the threat being largely invisible, but universal.  

This is where UXO/Mine Risk Education (MRE) has played its part in protecting the people of Lao PDR. MRE is vital in ensuring that villagers and school children alike are not only made aware of the risks posed by UXO and now to avoid them but are kept updated of the precise location of Confirmed Hazardous Areas within the communities.  

The national UXO capacities have been working relentlessly to tackle this issue since 1996, through the establishment of the national operator, the Lao National UXO Programme (UXO Lao), by the Government of Lao PDR, UNDP and other development partners. UXO Lao is mandated to survey and clear the land of UXO but also to conduct UXO Risk Education and awareness raising in the 9 of the most heavily UXO-contaminated Provinces in which they operate. In 2019, UXO Lao conducted 358 MRE village visits, reaching over 254,000 beneficiaries, comprising of roughly 127,000 males and 127,000 females. They also distributed 1,500 t-shirts for adults, 1,700 t-shirts for children, 18,000 writing notebooks, 500 MRE posters, as well as puppets and banners.  

These teams are both professional and creative, with their awareness raising activities coming in the form of songs, puppetry, imagery, games and a Q&A session. This allows easier access to information for young children, but also provides a learning forum for those across the country who speak many different ethnic languages or are unable to read or write.

A UXO Lao team conducting MRE through puppetry in Khammouane province. Photo: UXO Lao.

In addition, the National Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mine Action in Lao PDR (NRA) was established in 2005 with the responsibility of coordinating and regulating the entire UXO sector in Lao PDR. Its MRE unit broadcasts UXO messages across five Provincial radio stations, updates and distributes MRE material and posters, as well as providing training on how to conduct MRE activities. In 2019 alone, some 22,800 people were reached by the UXO broadcasted messages in the five UXO-contaminated provinces of Champasak, Khammouane, Salavan, Sekong and Vientiane. In 2019, the MRE unit also worked with Lao Youth Union village volunteers to train them in conducting MRE and will continue these activities in 2020. UN Women collaborated with the NRA and Lao Women’s Union in 2019 to produce a training manual entitled, “Manual for Trainers on Gender Mainstreaming in the UXO Sector Lao PDR” which was widely printed and distributed. This manual contains important lessons on gender mainstreaming in MRE, the link to which can be accessed in both Lao and English on the NRA’s website here.    

The efforts of MRE by operators across the country have been more than just informative, interactive and enjoyable, they have also led to a steadying decline in casualty numbers from over 300 persons in 2008 to 25 persons in 2019. While this decrease in the number of casualties is commendable, it is certainly not the end of the road. The national authorities, with continued support from UNDP, will strengthen its awareness-raising efforts as we look towards achieving the national Sustainable Development Goal 18- Lives Safe from UXO and beyond.

As we owe our gratitude to the tireless efforts for all those working within the Lao PDR UXO Sector, we should also take this opportunity to remember those individuals who have been killed and physically maimed by the unforgiving menace of UXO. They will always be remembered, and the clearance efforts will continue in Lao PDR, in the hope that death and injury does not knock on door of the innocent; but with a renewed level of energy to try to make a difference to ordinary people’s lives.

This year we are commemorating the 4th of April virtually, so take a look at our video and join us in raising awareness!

Click here to view the video

###  ###  ###

For more information and media interviews, contact:

Vientiane: Aksonethip Somvorachit; aksonethip.somvorachit@undp.org; (+856) 20 5502 1550.