Country Context
Lao PDR has the unenviable title of being the most heavily bombed country per capita in history. From 1964 to 1973, over two million tonnes of ordnance were dropped on Lao PDR in 580,000 bombing missions – the equivalent of one planeload of bombs every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years. Up to 30 per cent of bombs dropped in Lao PDR failed to detonate on impact, leaving an estimated 80 million unexploded cluster submunitions scattered across the landscape.
While Lao PDR does not yet have a reliable estimate of the extent of cluster munition and UXO contamination on its territory, the level of contamination is classed as ‘massive’. Cluster munition contamination is among the highest in the world when measured against the population, and extensive contamination poses a risk to the livelihoods, socio-economic development and quality of life of those living in affected communities.
It is expected that the amount of CHA will increase in the next few years as survey continues. According to the Mine Action Review, as at the end of 2022, a total of almost 1,745 km2 confirmed hazardous area (CHA) had been identified through technical survey in 2022 to be cluster munition remnants (CMR) contaminated, while comparing to the data of 2021, contaminated area was identified at almost 1,530 km2. It was also reported that submunition clearance totalled an area of 50.72 km2 with 65,293 submunitions.
Country Programme
NPA’s programme in Lao PDR is one of the biggest in the Mine Action and Disarmament portfolio, with annual funding of approx. USD 12 million in 2023, over 806 national staff, and activities in four provinces including survey, clearance, Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE)/ Community Liaison (CL) and ongoing Information Management (IM) capacity development support to the National Regulatory Authority for the UXO Sector (NRA). NPA has been present in Lao PDR since 1997. For the first 10 years, NPA supported the national clearance operator, UXO Lao, with technical assistance and quality assurance, before starting its own operations in Saravane province in 2009.
Notably, in August 2023, NPA commenced its first Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) activities to collaborate closely with local communities, particularly but not only, focusing on children to raise awareness about the contamination of Explosive Hazards in Laos. This involves educating people about the various types of Explosive Ordnance, the associated risks, and safe behaviour when encountering UXO, and the process of reporting any discovery of such. The programme successfully expanded, almost doubling in size and clearance capacity by 1 December 2023, from 22 clearance (BAC) teams to 42 teams, and 8 survey (CMRS) teams following additional support provided by the United States Government.
NPA is committed to reducing its environmental footprint, promoting environmental awareness, and fostering sustainability. Significant improvements in waste management were achieved across offices through the implementation of waste management, separation practices, composting, and the prohibition of burning. In 2023, NPA continued working in cooperation with local NGO, Zero Waste Laos (ZWL) on fundamental understanding on environmental issues training of new staffing, and supporting Youth Climate Action 2023 events engaging the green-community movement in southern provinces of Lao PDR on climate change awareness.
NPA aimed at promoting gender and diversity mainstreaming more efficiently in 2023 by focusing on Rapid Gender analysis training for country programmes through the NPA HO. Additionally on programme sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression (SOGIE) training was conducted by local organisation Proud to Be Us Laos (PTBUL), on gender diversity in the workplace for its programme staffing. As a result, NPA’s Safeguarding and Gender policies are continually imparted to all staff, both in the office and the field.
Overall results
Since the start of the programme until 31 December 2023, NPA’s Lao PDR programme has:
- Surveyed more than 634 km2 and identified more than 4,598 contaminated tasks covering a total size of over 316 km2;
- cleared over 42 km2 of contaminated land in 770 tasks;
- destroyed more than 149,379 items of UXO through survey and clearance of confirmed hazardous area.
- secured safe access to land, directly benefitting nearly 204,665 persons and indirectly benefitting 281,069 persons, further enabling development efforts.
- Lao PDR was one of the first countries to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2008, and the treaty entered into force in 2010. Lao PDR was instrumental in the treaty's negotiations, and actively works to promote universalization of the treaty.
- Fourteen of the country’s 18 provinces, and up to a quarter of the villages in Lao PDR, are severely contaminated with cluster munitions and other unexploded ordnance.
- Lao PDR has suffered the highest recorded number of cluster munitions casualties per capita in the world.
- At least 186 different types of munitions have been found in Lao PDR.
- As at the end of 2022, a total of almost 1,745 km2 of cluster munition contaminated area had been identified through technical survey.
- While Lao PDR does not yet have a comprehensive or reliable estimate of nation-wide contamination, survey efforts to fully define the extent of contamination, and to help prioritize the areas of highest need for clearance, are ongoing.
- The remote location of many mined areas entails that mines have little impact and are not currently a clearance priority of Lao PDR (of 81,646 items of explosive ordnance destroyed in 2021, only 56 - less than 0.07% - were mines). However the NRA has observed that “with a steady expansion of land use ‘mined areas’ will become areas for growing concern.”
From 1 January to 31 December 2023, NPA’s Lao PDR programme has:
- Conducted 402 EORE sessions in 50 targeted villages;
- cleared over 9.3 km2 of previously UXO and CMR-contaminated areas in 141 tasks;
- found and safely destroyed over 10,408 items of explosive ordnance (EO);
- surveyed nearly 4.8 km2 and identified 32 CHAs covering more than 2.1 km2;
- secured safe access to land, directly benefitting over 70,000 persons.
- Lao PDR Profile in the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor
- NPA Lao PDR on Facebook
