On Friday, The National Regulatory Authority (NRA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), convened the National Consultation on Cross-Cutting Issues in the UXO/Mine Action Sector in Lao PDR. The consultation was held alongside two additional preparatory events for the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (3RC-CCM), which Lao PDR will host in September 2026.

In Lao PDR, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) clears land contaminate by cluster munitions, helping communities regain safe access to land for farming and daily life. While this work brings significant benefits, some clearance activities may also have environmental impacts if it is not carefully managed.

Before local farmers could prepare their lands for the upcoming cassava planting season, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) Team removed dangerous threat hidden beneath the soil. During the clearance in March, NPA team discovered a SUU 14 dispenser containing six tubes filled with 102 BLU-3B submunitions in the village. In total, 112 submunitions and three other unexploded ordnances were safely destroyed within this agricultural area of 37,080 square meters.

As Lao PDR serves as the Presidency of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in 2026 and prepares to host the Third Review Conference 14-18 September, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) is proud to support the CCM Presidency through funding from the Government of Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program.

In additional to clearance activities in southern Laos, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) conducts explosive ordnance risk education in communities effected by explosive hazards. Risk education helps villagers live and farm as safely as possible in contaminated areas. It also prevents villagers from engaging with explosive hazards and promotes safer behavior.

In 1996, Mr. Somphone Duangchampa got seriously injured by an unexploded ordnance (UXO) while preparing the area behind his house to build a cattle pen. The accident caused severe injuries to his leg and abdomen.

On March 22, 2026, the NPA team in Attapeu safely removed an MK82 500Ib bomb which was discovered during clearance operations in Phaosamphan Village, Xaysetha District, Attapeu Province.

As his family prepared to celebrate their son’s wedding, Mr. Koi from Ban Hinlat in Xanasomboun district, Lao PDR, set out to clear space around his home for a cooking area. What began as routine preparations quickly turned into a potentially deadly discovery.

For years, Mr. Khamdan did not know that unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance teams existed. Like many villagers at the time, he handled cluster munitions himself. He dug holes, collected the items and piled them together carefully and sometime burned them with waste.