The Government of the United State of America, last Friday Unexploded Ordnance Clear Training Centre, Ban Ilay, Nasaithong district, turned over four high-grade tents for use in field operation to UXO Lao, the national unexploded ordnance clearance operator.
The tents were handed over by U.S. Embassys Deputy Chief of Mission to Lao PDR, Peter Haymond and UXO Lao National Program Director, Mr. Bounpone Sayasenh.
The tents, worth US$ 27,671 will be used by UXO Lao clearance teams in Savannakhet province and other provinces.
UXO Lao clearance teams spend weeks in very poor and remote districts, clearing UXO from agriculture land. Tents, such as these donated by the U.S. government, serve as their home in such areas.
The U.S. Government is the largest donor to the UXO sector in Laos, having contributed over US million kip to UXO removal, public awareness, and victims assistance programmes since 1998, including US.9 million in 2008.
Mr. Bounpone said We mission will continue to seek out innovative ways to expand our humanitarian support to the vital mission of UXO clearance in Laos and are pleased with this opportunity to strengthen our relationship with UXO Lao.
We look forward to continued cooperation on humanitarian issues such as UXO clearance and other issues important to our bilateral relationship.
UXO Lao is the national humanitarian UXO clearance operator in Laos. Since its establishment in 1996 by the Lao government, with the support of UNDP and other stakeholders, the organisation has cleared or released more than 14,902 hectares of land. It has also visited 7,260 villages, conducting community awareness activities on the dangers of UXO. In the process of conducting operations, it has destroyed more than 869,364 items of UXO, of which 47 pre cent were bombies. The organisation employs more than 1,000 employees, of whom around 85 per cent are in field operations.
UXO Lao currently receives support from the following countries Australia, European Commission, Germany, Japan, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. It also receives support from private foundations such as World Without Mines.
