Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Cluster Munition Remnants

Anti-Personnel Mines

  • Performance

    Not Applicable

Key Developments

In 2022, two dedicated mine clearance teams from The HALO Trust (HALO) were clearing a former Royal Lao Army military base in a district of Savannakhet province. As at August 2023, Humanity & Inclusion (HI) was awaiting funding for a project to enable it to build national capacity, in partnership with UXO Lao, for landmine survey and clearance in Houaphanh province. The National Regulatory Authority (NRA) is developing capacity to be able to undertake quality assurance (QA)/quality control (QC) of mine clearance with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).


Recommendations for Action

  • The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) should accede to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) as a matter of priority.
  • Lao PDR should clear anti-personnel (AP) mines in areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, consonant with its obligations under international human rights law.
  • Lao PDR should commission and publish a detailed assessment of mined areas.
  • In light of the continuing reports by clearance operators of AP mines being encountered during cluster munition remnant survey (CMRS) and roving tasks, the NRA should consider convening a sector-wide meeting to discuss National Standards, accreditation, and procedures for addressing mine contamination. This process might benefit from the establishment of a technical working group specifically for landmines.
  • The NRA should ensure that its Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database can easily disaggregate AP mines from anti-vehicle (AV) mines.

Download the full "Clearing the Mines 2023" report for Lao PDR

Click here to download the "Clearing the Mines 2023" report for Lao PDR.