VIENTIANE, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Laos reaffirmed its strong commitment to addressing the ongoing threat of unexploded ordnance (UXO), a tragic legacy of war that continues to endanger lives across all ethnic groups, while promoting international peace and security.
The Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in partnership with the United Nations Development Program, hosted an event to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), an international treaty that prohibits the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of these explosive weapons, Lao National Radio reported on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event on Monday, Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane highlighted significant progress in clearing the UXO since the convention took effect in 2010. He emphasized how demining efforts have enabled communities to rebuild, farmers to reclaim land, and infrastructure to be developed in previously contaminated areas.
Thongsavanh also underscored government initiatives to support UXO victims, including medical care, rehabilitation services, and community-based risk education, especially targeting children, who remain the most vulnerable.
So far in 2025, eight UXO-related incidents have occurred, resulting in 14 casualties, nine injured and five fatalities.
Laos is one of the most heavily bombed countries in the world in terms of per capita. From 1964 to 1973, over 2 million tons of ordnance were dropped on Laos, of which 30 percent failed to explode.
Over 270 million cluster munitions were dropped from U.S. warplanes, leaving an estimated 80 million live bomblets scattered and buried around the Southeast Asian country. ■
