AKP Phnom Penh, February 08, 2025 --

The clearance of mines, cluster bombs, and other explosive remnants of war continues with support from the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) and other donor countries besides the U.S.

The remarks were made by the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) in a press release made public on Feb. 7.

Since 1992, CMAA pointed out, mine action in Cambodia, including clearance of mines, cluster bombs and other explosive remnants of war, risk reduction education, and relief for the disabled, has been funded by the RGC, Australia, Japan, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, China, Ireland, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Hungary, India, Canada, the United Nations, the European Union, Spain, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Hungary and Denmark, Civil Society Fund, the private sector, and philanthropists.

U.S. funding for mine action in Cambodia is provided by the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs to different mine action operators. The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) receives U.S. funding through the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA).

“The funding is not provided through USAID, nor is it provided directly to the RGC,” the source underlined, adding that on average, the U.S. funding accounts for about 30 percent of the total annual mine action budget in Cambodia, with a large portion allocated to cluster munitions clearance and some to mine clearance and related activities.

Anyway, the CMAA hopes that the U.S. will continue to support mine action in Cambodia.

Besides, the press release laid stress on the achievements of Cambodia in mine action in the past 32 years. From 1992 to 2024, some 3,297 square kilometres of landmine-contaminated area have been cleared for use and cultivation, of which 81 percent is for agriculture, 4 percent for infrastructure, and 15 percent for other purposes (housing, farms, schools, health centers, etc.), benefiting more than 10 million people.

During the said period, 1,197,218 anti-personnel mines, 26,567 anti-tank mines, and 3,196,704 explosive remnants of war have been found and destroyed. The number of casualties has decreased from 4,320 in 1996 to 49 in 2024.

CMAA also mentioned the key contributions of Samdech Techo Project for Mine Action (STP-MA) in 2022 and the Royal Government's special fund in 2023 to the above achievements.

To date, 15 provinces and capital – Stung Treng, Kep, Prey Veng, Phnom Penh, Preah Sihanouk, Kandal, Svay Rieng, Takeo, Kampot, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Cham, Thbong Khmum, Kampong Speu, Mondulkiri, and Kratie – have been declared mine free.

At the same time, Cambodia has been actively participating in the cause of peace and mine clearance activities worldwide as a UN member state. Since 2006, the Kingdom has deployed 9,824 Cambodian peacekeepers, including 857 women, to join peacekeeping missions under the UN umbrella in Sudan, South Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus, Yemen, Chad, Mali, the Central African Republic, and Congo.

Moreover, as an active State Party to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and Their Destruction (the Ottawa Convention), Cambodia chaired and hosted the Fifth Review Conference of the Ottawa Convention, or the “Siem Reap-Angkor Summit on a Mine-Free World,” with excellent results, with a total of 983 participants from over 100 countries and many national and international organisations. After the meeting, Ms. Carolyne-Mélanie Régimbal, Chief of Service of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs’ Geneva Office, commented, “Through this Summit, Cambodia has once again demonstrated in history that it is a leading State on the issue of humanitarian disarmament.”

By C. Nika