Norwegian support to Mine Action in Laos

Siren Gjerme Eriksen, Abassador of Norway to Hanoi, met with Laos National Regulatory Authority, NRA, as he attended a ceremony in Laos last week, where Norwegian People’s Aid handed over excess equipment from their operations to NRA.

The NRA in Laos are responsible for the regulation and coordination of all operators in the country working on the impact of unexploded ordnance. The excess equipment can be used in the NRA’s work to clear out mines. All parties stressed the need to ensure the most efficient use of the available resources.

The Indochina conflict which ended in 1974 have left Laos contaminated by a high number of unexploded ordnance. Norway has worked closely with Laos since the beginning of the negotiation process that led to the adoption and signature of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2008, and supports Laos through a bilateral agreement and humanitarian operator, Norwegian People’s Aid Lao PDR.

Source: Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi