VIENTIANE: Unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance teams have reached more than 1.1 million people with safety messages this year as they strengthen efforts to prevent accidents and support survivors.
Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) teams reached 582 villages and 252,576 people directly in 2026, while media campaigns reached a further 875,714 people.
The figures were cited on Wednesday (Sept 16) during the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions taking place at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anouparb Vongnorkeo chaired the meeting.
Deputy Director General of the Department of International Organisations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alomlangsy Rajvong, announced the figures during a session on Explosive Ordnance Risk Education.
The figures highlight the importance of reaching people with clear safety messages, particularly those living in communities where unexploded ordnance remains a daily risk.
The government is now developing an EORE strategy for 2027-2030, focusing on stronger coordination, resource mobilisation, monitoring, and the use of modern technology.
One of the objectives of the conference is to devise ways to help people who have already suffered from cluster munitions and other forms of unexploded ordnance.
At a side event on victim assistance, Head of the National Regulatory Authority for UXO/Mine Action, Mr Bounpheng Sisavath, said 823 UXO-related accidents had been recorded in Laos from 1996 to the present, resulting in 1,291 victims.
Of the total, 971 people were injured, including 84 girls, 328 boys, 130 women and 429 men. Another 320 people died, including 17 girls, 105 boys, 18 women and 180 men.
Bounpheng said assistance had been provided on 1,928 occasions, with the value of support estimated at 3.34 billion kip and US$1.01 million.
Deputy Head of the National Regulatory Authority for the UXO/Mine Action Sector Office, Sudachanh Dalounphanh, said Laos remains committed to its obligations towards cluster munition victims and is placing survivors and affected communities at the centre of its response.
The government is linking victim assistance with healthcare, mental health rehabilitation, social protection, education and livelihood support, with particular attention to people in rural and remote communities.
The main priority for 2026 is to develop a Victim Assistance Action Plan for 2027-2030. The plan will align with the National Socio-Economic Development Plan, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Sustainable Development Goal 18, “Lives Safe from UXO”.
The conference also heard calls for stronger and more predictable international support to help Laos maintain its UXO response over the long term.
Director General of the Department of International Organisations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moukdavanh Sisoulith, said international cooperation and assistance remain essential to resolving the UXO problem.
She stressed the importance of national ownership, including funding, technical support and capacity building, as well as sharing experiences through coordination mechanisms and UXO sector working groups.
Moukdavanh called for funding that is predictable, sustained and innovative, while urging stronger support for developing Lao human resources under the Vientiane Capital Action Plan.
She also co-chaired a side event entitled “Making Action 28 Work: Risk Education Leadership under the Convention on Cluster Munitions”.
The day’s programme ended with an art event on victim assistance, disability inclusion and survivor participation, organised by the Lao Disabled People’s Association.
The event highlighted the importance of giving survivors a stronger voice in society and in efforts to reduce the risks posed by UXO.
Discussions reinforced the view that the UXO response is not only about clearing contaminated land; it is also about helping people understand the dangers, preventing accidents, and giving survivors the support they need to rebuild their lives. - Vientiane Times/ANN
