Click here for Page 2: Key UNDP Laos events Jan-June 2006


UXO Feature story "Not only about bombs but about people" says 22 year old UXO de-miner.

It is a busy day today for Boua Ban Vilaivong, a 22 year old expert UXO deminer in Xieng Khouang Province in Lao PDR. She is charged for setting up an intricate operation that will clear the bombs from Khang Yao village.

 

Boua Ban decided to join UXO Lao to help her country get rid of these life threatening bombs that are scattered in fields, school yards and villages. Her province Xieng Khouang had some 300,000 tons of bombs dropped on it, an average of two tons for each inhabitant.

 

She says that farmers fear to cultivate their fields due to unexploded bombs, mostly anti-personnel cluster bomblets, known in Laos as “bombies.” Villagers live in fear to dig for wells or develop new irrigations systems. It is not surprising that the poorest districts in Lao PDR are the ones that were the most heavily bombed.


Her childhood friend was hurt by an UXO when it exploded near him and after three years of suffering he died at the age of eight. This effected Boua Ban deeply and as soon as she turned 18, she joined a training to become a UXO de-miner. She is determine to continue even after she has had children as the best part of her job is to see happy faces of people that do not have to live in fear any longer. The worst part about her job she says is to see victims of bomb explosions.

Finn Reske-Nielsen leaves Lao PDR to take up new post as the UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Timor-Leste

The UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, has appointed Mr. Finn Reske-Nielsen as the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Timor-Leste. In this new position, he will coordinate the activities of all UN humanitarian agencies in Timor-Leste and will work closely with all non-governmental organizations and governmental agencies involved in delivering assistance to the 70,000 people living in make-shift camps in the capital city of Dili and a further 60,000 people displaced throughout the country.

Mr. Reske-Nielsen served as the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Lao PDR for almost four years. Arriving in country on the 22 August 2002, he worked tirelessly with the Government of Lao PDR and UN partners to ensure that the country achieves the Millennium Development Goals and targets by 2015 and to ensure that the country ultimately graduates from its Least Developed Country Status by 2020.

In recognition of Finn Reske-Nielsen’s important contribution of development to the Lao PDR, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith on behalf of the Government of Lao PDR presented him with Medal of Friendship on Sat, 12 August at a high level ceremony attended by dignitaries from the Government and United Nations.

UXO & NRA News

UXO Donor visit in Xieng Khouang

The Government of Lao PDR, UXO Lao and UNDP hosted a donor visit to one of its areas of operation in Xieng Khouang Province on 23-25 January. The donor group was welcomed warmly by H.E. Mr. Le Kakanya, Minister of labour and social Affairs and H.E. Mr. Sivone Yayonggyia, The Governor of Xieng Khouang. Invitees from donor countries were given a tour of UXO contaminated areas being cleared by UXO clearance operators, several UXO destruction demonstrations, and a briefing on UXO Lao Programme operations by UXO Lao National Programme Director Mr. Bounpone Sayasene. They also observed a UXO risk education activity and puppet show in Ban Lartngone School.


April 4th the International Day for Mine Awareness and opening ceremony of NRA

“The UN General Assembly has declared April 4th the International Day for Mine Awareness to create an opportunity to sustain public awareness about the problem of landmines and explosive remnants of war and the efforts to eliminate them. It is indeed most appropriate to inaugurate the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for the Mine Sector on this particular occasion,” said Finn Reske-Nielsen, UNDP Lao PDR Resident Representative at the opening ceremony of NRA.
The battle against landmines is being won, with some countries already achieving mine-free status. But victory will depend on the unflagging commitment of the governments of those countries where mines still exist and on the sustained support of the international community. In addition to tackling the landmine problem, the international community must also tackle the problem of explosive remnants of war, which in some countries, are an even greater threat. Explosive remnants of war include unexploded ordnance (UXO) (such as cluster munitions that did not detonate on impact) and abandoned explosive ordnance (such as grenades and missiles that were left behind by retreating armed forces). April 4 provides an opportunity to raise awareness about this problem too.

Lao PDR is one of those countries where there is a massive UXO problem, and a comparatively small mine problem. Since 1975, UXO accidents have resulted in over 11,000 casualties, with about one-third of the victims dying from their wounds. Many of the survivors suffer severe impairment because they cannot reach the nearest hospital. The average cost of treatment for survivors can be as much as half the annual income of a rural family. Also, children with disabilities are often denied access to education due to the lack of trained teachers and adapted materials, trapping them in a cycle of poverty.

UXO contamination poses an ongoing development challenge to the people of Lao PDR. The Government estimates that it will take no less than ten years of concerted effort to clear the UXO from the most highly impacted priority agricultural and developmental sites in the Lao PDR. Community awareness, victim assistance and UXO survey and clearance operations are priority activities for the Government. The NRA will be responsible for the oversight of all the UXO related operation activities in Lao PDR.

Background

History Lao PDR (Laos) has the unfortunate distinction of being one of the world's most heavily bombed nation. During the Indo-China war period there were extensive bombings and ground battles. Over this period more than 500,000 bombing missions were launched that dropped more than two million tonnes of ordnance, with up to 30 percent not detonating on impact. Bombing records and results from the Socio-Economic Impact Survey carried out in 1996 indicate that over 87,000 square kilometers of the land can be contaminated.

Even though the war has now ended more than 30 years ago, the killing and maiming has not. Although the number of UXO victims cannot be established due to lack of data, it is estimated, that in this period there has been at least 11,000 UXO related casualties that keep increasing at an estimated rate of 200 to 400 people each year. Recently there has been a marked increase in casualties due to poor farmers trying to hunt and salvage for UXO for scrap metal or as tourist mementos. 

UXO Lao In 1995, the Government of Lao PDR requested UNDP to assist them develop national capacity to address the long-term humanitarian and development problems caused by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) contamination. The Lao PDR Trust Fund was established in 1995, and UXO LAO, a national clearance operator was established in 1996.

UXO LAO is nationally executed with operational activities covering UXO clearance, training de-miners, community awareness and surveying. It has benefited from the support of over 18 donor countries and multilateral agencies, and is funded primarily through a Trust Fund managed by UNDP on behalf of the Government. As of 2006, UXO Lao has cleared 7,422 hectares of land for agricultural and development activities in nine of the fifteen affected provinces.

National Regulatory Authority for UXO In April 2004, the Government of Lao PDR officially adopted the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for the UXO Programme ("The Safe Path Forward") for the period 2003 – 2013. The plan calls for an institutional reform of the sector and for a return of independent operators in the clearance sector. The objective of the plan is to improve the overall efficiency of the sector and hence its impact on the socioeconomic development of the country.

A study commissioned by UNDP recommended the creating of a National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for the UXO sector. The NRA was set up by a Prime Minister’s Decree on 17 March 2004 and is the national institution in charge of the coordination, regulation and monitoring of all unexploded ordnance and mine action operations in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

UNDP will continue to coordinate the provision of technical assistance to the NRA as well as to UXO LAO, which operates as a Department of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. UNICEF acts as the lead agency in the Community Awareness sub-sector.

The Safe Path Forward The main aim of the National Strategic Plan for the UXO Programme is to enable people from the most highly impacted communities to live free from the impacts of landmines and UXO. Specific objectives of the strategic plan include:

1) A reduction of the number of UXO/mine victims below 100 per year.
2) Clearance, by UXO LAO alone, of 180 square kilometers of high priority land.
3) Development of UXO victims information system and provision of rehabilitation services.

Linkages between the UXO/mine action programme and the government's National Growth and Poverty Eradication Strategy (NGPES) are formally established in priority setting and in the tasking of resources. The NGPES has determined that 72 of the total 142 districts in the country are considered as "very poor" (47) or "poor" (25).

The map of the UXO contaminated areas shows an extremely high level of coincidence with those poor districts and it is indisputable that the presence of UXO had a detrimental impact on the poverty reduction efforts implemented by development agencies as well as on local initiatives to improve villagers' livelihood.

The long-term goal of the programme is to remove the threat of UXO and landmines, critical to the social and economic development of Lao PDR, by carrying out humanitarian mine action and establishing a sustainable national capacity to plan, coordinate, and execute UXO/mine action through to the year 2013.

Message from the Resident Representative a.i., Setsuko Yamazaki

Ms. Yamazaki with UXO clearance operators in Xieng Khouang

Lao PDR still suffers from the legacy of conflict more than 30 years ago. Every year, almost 200 people are killed and hundreds more injured by unexploded bombs and ordnance (UXO) left over from the Indo-China War. Over 11,000 have been killed since the end of hostilities in 1975, with most deaths coming from villagers who disturb left-over munitions while looking for firewood, tilling the land, or even children playing with bombs. More deaths are being caused by poor rural people who are salvaging war material for a few cents per kilo of war scrap. But perhaps most insidiously, the UXO problem prevents development of much-needed agricultural land and land needed for vital infrastructure. It is this point that UNDP Laos hopes to get across! 

It is crucial to continue removing UXO from the countryside and this cannot be possible without the support and partnership from donors. I take this opportunity to express our gratitude to our donors who continue to support the activities of both UXO Lao and the NRA. 

In conclusion, I would also like to take this opportunity to inform you that Mr. Finn Reske-Nielsen has taken up a new post as the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Timor-Leste. The incoming UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Ms Sonam Yangchen Rana, will arrive in September and be introduced to our partners in the Government and donor community soon after. 

We hope you will find this e-Update useful and we look forward to any feedback you may have.

 

Donor Support for Trust Fund

UXO Lao operations

$805,153 from the Government of Lao PDR (funds originating from the Government of Japan to support UXO Lao operations in Saravan, Sekong, and Attapeu) 

$554,488 from Japan Mine Action Service (JMAS) who is now an implementing partner of UXO Lao in Xieng Khouang

$175,438.60 from the Government of Canada

$172,117.04 from the Government of UK

UXO NRA project

$229,007.63 from AusAID

Sixth issue of Juth Pakai out now

Welcome to the Sixth Edition of Juth Pakai. In this issue Corinne Neudorfer provides a critique of the successful ecotourism activities evolving in Luang to improve the share of the benefits accrued by the Ahka villagers whom the tourists go to see. This article has already been reviewed by other tourism-sector development professionals, who have made it clear they will challenge the methodology the author used to draw her conclusions

On a wider scale, Andrew Wells-Dang and Buasawan Simmala discuss how ethnic communities are sharing in the major economic developments occurring in two parts of the country affected by Greater Mekong Subregion ‘Economic Corridors’.

The last two articles in this edition examine exciting agricultural possibilities. Soybean trials among rural communities in the north are the subject of a contribution from Lao-Swedish agricultural advisors, while the huge potential of the organic food market is explored by Rick Dubbeldam.

Readers may notice that a new spelling system has been adopted to refer to ethnic groups. We are pleased to report that the invaluable work of the National Institute of Cultural Research (www.laosethnicculture.org) has led to a standard Romanised spelling for the main ethnic groups, following a linguistically researched pattern that caters for both French and English language phonetics.

Juth Pakai is conceived as a journal to which everybody should be able to contribute. While we encourage all readers to submit articles or letters to the editor on any topic related to Lao development, we also recognise that not everyone is in a position to contribute in this way. With this in mind, Edition 6 includes a survey to allow you to comment on Juth Pakai. Your feedback will help us ensure this journal remains an interesting and practical forum for the discussion of development in the country.

New staff

Phanthanousone Khennavong is working as an Programme Analyst at the UXO Unit. His responsibilities, include, planning and programming UXO/Mine Action operations, working with the Unit Manager to communicate and coordinate between UNDP and the Government of Lao PDR. Coordinating visits from donors, NGOs, journalists, UN missions and researchers. As the unit is also the focal point for Disaster Management issues for the UNDP Country Office, he will assist the Unit's chief in this practice area as well.

Before this assignment with UNDP Lao, he worked with UNDP Lao PDR’s (Governance Unit) for about two year and with KPMG Laos as an auditor in charge for the past three years.

Ms. Khamlar Phonsavat: A big welcome to Ms. Khamlar Phonsavat, who has just begun working in the Environment Unit as a Programme Analyst, at UNDP’s office. She graduated from Flinders University in South Australia with a degree in Environmental Management. Before working with the UNDP, she was working as an Environmental Scientist with Earth Systems Lao (an environmental consulting firm formed in 2000 between Earth Systems Australia Pty Ltd and a Lao investor- just opposite with UNDP!). After almost 3 years working in consulting, Khamlar joined UNDP to gain experience working on national projects that can strengthen the Government's capacity in the area of environmental management.

UNDP Publications


UNDP Asia Pacific Human Development Report: Trade on Human Terms

The Asia-Pacific region has embraced free trade, but free trade will not embrace the poor unless countries pursue a bold new policy agenda harnessing economic growth to promote human development.

 

Governance for the Future: Democracy and Development in the Least Developed Countries, UNDP and UN-OHRLLS

Roving judges in the Maldives and a community justice system in post-genocide Rwanda are just two of democratic governance initiatives captured in the UN report on governance in the fifty most vulnerable countries in the world.


Lao PDR Resource Information

1) Journal of Mine Action
UXO Lao’s Fight against UXO by B. Sisavath
An Operator’s Perspective on Ottawa’s Article 5
A Regional Approach: Mine and UXO Risk
Reduction in Vietnam,
Laos and Cambodia by Andrew Wells-Dang
Mine Action and the MDGs
Laos by Erin Herring


2) Economic Monitor April 2006, World Bank
The Lao Economic Monitor is issued in Lao and in English, twice a year (Spring and Autumn) by the World Bank in Lao PDR. It reports on recent economic performance (Part I), progress in the implementation of the Government’s policy reform agenda (Part II), and donor activities in the relevant reform areas (Part III).