Lao PDR

Ireland contributes 1,5 million Euros to reduce the risk of cluster munitions in the Lao PDR , Photo by UNDP Laos/Phoutsavong Phatsouda

Ireland has been a consistent supporter of the UXO sector in the Lao PDR. Now, through the recently established UXO trust fund, set up by the Government of Lao PDR and UNDP, Ireland supports UXO Lao with 1 million Euros and the First Meeting of States Parties with 500,000 Euros. The funds directed to UXO Lao will be used for priority clearance, risk education and survivor assistance, in line with the Government UXO sector strategy ‘Safe Path Forward’.  

Support from Ireland is timely, as the UXO Sector is undergoing changes recommended in the 2008 UXO sector evaluation, and also to assist the Government of Lao PDR in fulfilling its important role for the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Ireland is one of the driving forces in the campaign to ban Cluster Munitions world-wide and hosted the Dublin Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions in 2008, where the Convention on Cluster Munitions was agreed.  In 2006 – 2009 Ireland provided $2,185,458 for humanitarian UXO clearance operations, surveys, community awareness activities and analyzing the mainstreaming of a gender perspective into UXO action.   

The presence and scale of UXO pose humanitarian challenges and are an impediment to poverty reduction and development in the Lao PDR.  Bombies have caused death and injuries to an average of 300 people a year over the past decade.  In addition, they prevent access to agricultural land and require substantial extra resources for UXO clearance before any kind of development, such as road building, tourism development and school construction, taking place in UXO-affected areas.   

The 2008 UXO sector evaluation shows that Lao PDR can clear the contamination from the priority agricultural land in 16 years at present capacity.  However, by scaling up resources this can be achieved even quicker, perhaps in 10 years.  

Fact sheet on the UXO problem in Lao PDR (pdf)

Lao PDR is the most heavily bombed country in history, with up to 25% of the villages contaminated with Unexploded Ordnance (UXO). During the period of 1964 to 1973, over 2 million tons of ordnance, including 270 million ‘bombies’ i.e. cluster sub-munitions, were dropped on Laos. With an average failure rate of 30%, approximately 80 million of them remained in Laos after the war. All 17 provinces of Laos suffer from UXO contamination.    

Notes for editors:

For more information please contact

Inka Leisma at the UNDP Public Information Unit
Tel: (021) 267 777 ext: 751, Email: inka.leisma@undp.org

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