Lao PDR

Cluster Munition Ban Policy

Last updated: 05 August 2015

Five-Year Review: State Party Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) was among the first 30 ratifications to trigger the convention’s entry into force on 1 August 2010. Lao PDR hosted and served as President of the convention’s First Meeting of States Parties in November 2010. It has participated in all of the convention’s subsequent meetings. Lao PDR served as the convention’s co-coordinator on clearance and risk education in 2012–2014. It works to promote universalization of the convention and has condemned new use of cluster munitions. Lao PDR has elaborated its views on several important issues relating to interpretation and implementation of the convention.

In its initial transparency report provided in 2011, Lao PDR confirmed it has never produced cluster munitions and has no stockpile, including for research or training. Lao PDR states that it has never used or transferred cluster munitions.

Policy

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008 and ratified on 18 March 2009. It was among the first 30 ratifications that triggered the entry into force of the convention on 1 August 2010.

Lao PDR has expressed its intent to enacting specific legislation for the convention. It has listed existing laws and decrees under national implementation measures in its transparency reports.[1] In 2013, Lao PDR informed States Parties that it intends to “establish laws which adequately and fully reflect the high standards achieved in this convention.”[2] In April 2014, it confirmed that “national legislation that covers our remaining legislative obligations under the Convention” will be drafted by the Ministry of Justice in consultation with relevant agencies.[3]

Lao PDR submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report for the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 25 January 2011 and has provided annual updates ever since, most recently on 6 May 2015.[4]

As the most heavily contaminated country in the world in terms of cluster munition remnants, Lao PDR’s support was a crucial element in the success of the Oslo Process that produced the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[5] Lao PDR participated extensively in the Oslo Process and advocated strongly against proposals to weaken the treaty text.[6] Lao PDR hosted a key regional conference on cluster munitions in Xiengkhuang in October 2008.

Lao PDR continued to play a leadership role in the work of the Convention on Cluster Munitions ever since. It hosted the convention’s historic First Meeting of States Parties in Vientiane in November 2010 and served as president. It has participated in all of the convention’s subsequent Meetings of States Parties, including the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in San José, Costa Rica in September 2014, where it made several statements.

Lao PDR has attended all of the convention’s intersessional meetings held in Geneva, most recently in June 2015. It has participated in regional workshops on cluster munitions. 

Lao PDR served as the convention’s co-coordinator on clearance and risk reduction education in  2012–2014.

Lao PDR has undertaken many efforts to promote the universalization of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. At the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in September 2014, Lao PDR urged all nations that have not yet done so to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions and “send a strong message” against the use of cluster munitions.[7]

At the UN General Assembly (UNGA) First Committee on Disarmament in October 2014, Lao PDR spoke about the harmful and costly legacy caused by cluster munition use and stated “We therefore condemn the continued use of cluster munitions in some parts of the world and urge those countries who have not done so to ratify or accede to the Convention on Cluster Munitions as soon as possible.”[8]

During the Fifth Meeting of States Parties, the CMC held a film screening for delegates of “On Cleared Ground,” a feature-length documentary film about soccer in one of Lao PDR’s most heavily unexploded ordinance (UXO) contaminated provinces.[9]

Lao PDR is not party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Interpretive issues

Lao PDR has elaborated its views on several important matters related to its interpretation and implementation of the convention. In June 2011, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official informed the Monitor, “With regard to your question on relations with states not party to this convention, we are aware of the different interpretations of the Article 21. For us it is clear that we strongly support the full prohibition of cluster munitions, including those activities during the joint military operations, transiting, foreign stockpiling and investment in the production of cluster munitions.”[10]

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

In its initial Article 7 report, Lao PDR declared that it “has no stockpiles” of cluster munitions and was not retaining any cluster munitions for training and research.[11]

Lao PDR reported that it has never produced cluster munitions.[12]

Lao PDR also has stated that it has never used or transferred cluster munitions.[13]

The United States (US) used air-delivered cluster munitions extensively between 1964 and 1973, dropping more than two million tons of ordnance, including more than 270 million submunitions. The 50th anniversary of the 1964 start of the US air campaign saw major US media outlets cover the legacy of cluster munition contamination in Lao PDR, but with few if any references to the Convention on Cluster Munitions and Lao PDR’s leadership role in creating it.[14]



[1] Lao PDR declared various selected articles of the penal code including on illegal production, possession, and use of war weapons and explosives; illegal trade of war weapons and explosives; and robbery, embezzlement, and looting of war weapons and explosives. It has also listed laws and decrees related to the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO). Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form A, 25 January 2011. The 2015 report lists a new victim assistance strategy as well as the NRA’s provisional approval of a new survey procedure. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form A, 6 May 2015.

[2] Statement of Lao PDR, Convention on Cluster Munitions Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Lusaka, 11 September 2013. Lao PDR previously indicated that the relevant sections of the penal code might be amended to reflect its obligations under the convention. Statement of Lao PDR, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, 16 April 2013; and statement of Lao PDR, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, 18 April 2012.

[3] Statement of Lao PDR, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, 7 April 2014.

[4] Various time periods have been covered by Article 7 reports provided on 25 January 2011 (for the 24-year period from 1 January 1996 to 30 November 2010), 22 March 2012 (for the period from 1 December 2010 to 31 December 2011), 28 March 2013 (for calendar year 2013), 30 April 2014 (for calendar year 2013), and 6 May 2015 (for calendar year 2014).

[5] Lao PDR’s struggle against cluster munitions was profiled in a 2014 documentary by Al Jazeera. See, “Legacy of War in Laos,” Al Jazeera - The Stream, 13 May 2014.

[6] For more details on Lao PDR’s cluster munition policy and practice through early 2009, see Human Rights Watch and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, May 2009), pp. 103–105.

[7] Statement of Lao PDR, Convention on Cluster Munitions Fifth Meeting of States Parties, San José, 2 September 2014. Notes by the CMC.

[8] Statement of Lao PDR, UNGA First Committee on Disarmament and International Security, New York, 22 October 2014.

[9] The CMC held the film screening in collaboration with the governments of Costa Rica, Lao PDR, and Sweden, and the Costa Rican Football Federation. See, CMC, “The Fifth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” undated but 2014.

[10] Email from Maytong Thammavongsa, Director of UN, Political, and Security Affairs Division, Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1 June 2011.

[12] Ibid., Form E, 25 January 2011. The form is completed as “Non applicable.”

[13] Letter from Saleumxay Kommasith, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 25 February 2009; and interview with Saleumxay Kommasith, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vientiane, 31 March 2011. Historical photographic and testimonial evidence, however, shows that the former Royal Lao Air Force used US-supplied cluster munitions during the Indochina War.


Mine Ban Policy

Last updated: 26 October 2017

Policy

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty.

Lao PDR officials have stated on many occasions that the government made a decision in 2004 to accede but that the country needs time to prepare to meet the treaty’s obligations. In December 2012, Lao PDR reiterated that it would work toward accession but did not provide any timeline.[1]

In July 2011, Lao PDR provided a voluntary Article 7 transparency report. The report notes that landmines may be used, possessed, or traded, if sanctioned. It states that there has been no survey regarding mined areas and that there are no specific warnings posted for mined areas, only warnings for areas with unexploded ordnance (UXO). It does not provide any information regarding its stockpile but does state that a small quantity of antipersonnel mines is held for training in mine detection.[2] Lao PDR had previously said that its voluntary Article 7 report, when submitted, would allow the international community to “understand the facts and reality on the ground.”[3] Lao PDR has not submitted an updated Article 7 report since.

The Lao government has cited the treaty’s mine clearance obligation and deadline under Article 5 as an obstacle to accession. Lao PDR also expressed concern regarding the possible diversion of resources from UXO clearance activities to a focus on antipersonnel mines.[4]

Lao PDR sent observers to the Mine Ban Treaty Twelfth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in December 2012 where it made a statement on its efforts toward accession to the convention. It has not attended a meeting since. It also attended the Bangkok Symposium on Enhancing Cooperation & Assistance in June 2013 in Bangkok.

On 5 December 2016, Lao PDR voted in favor of UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 71/34 calling for universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. This was the tenth consecutive year it has voted in favor of the annual resolution, after abstaining in all previous years.

Lao PDR is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), but not Amended Protocol II on landmines.

Use, stockpiling, production, and transfer

In 2008, Lao PDR acknowledged that it has used mines in the past “to protect its borders.” It also said that the government does not export antipersonnel mines although it holds a small stockpile.[5] Lao PDR’s voluntary Article 7 report states that it has not used antipersonnel mines for more than two decades and that the country has no production facilities.[6]



[1] Statement of Lao PDR, Mine Ban Treaty Twelfth Meeting of States Parties, Session on Universalization, Geneva, 6 December 2012.

[2] Form A of the Article 7 report notes that sanctions in the penal code prohibit production, possession, use, or trade of war weapons, although not specifically mines, unless legally sanctioned. Form B states that the information will be provided when it is available. Form C notes that “no survey on anti-personnel mines has been carried out, therefore the information on the locations of mine fields are lacking [sic].” Form D states that the Ministry of Defence retained a “small quantity of APMs [antipersonnel mines] for the training in mine detection…” On Form E, Lao PDR stated that it has no antipersonnel mine production facilities. Forms F, G, and H state that “no information is available.” Form I states that “there is no specific warning about APMs [antipersonnel mines], but only UXOs that could be also valid for landmines. Since the contamination areas are so wide, UXO marking signs were set up only at the project areas.” Form I includes a total of mine victims as a percentage of a casualty figure from 1964–2008, and notes that Lao PDR will continue to destroy mines when they are found during the course of UXO clearance. Mine Ban Treaty Voluntary Article 7 Report (for the period to 31 December 2010), Forms A–I.

[3] Statement by Khonepheng Thammavong, Permanent Mission of Lao PDR to the UN in Geneva, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on General Status and Operation, Geneva, 20 June 2011.

[5] Statement by Amb. Maligna Saignavongs, NRA, Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on General Status and Operation, Geneva, 2 June 2008.


Mine Action

Last updated: 17 November 2017

Contaminated by: landmines (extent of contamination unknown), cluster munition remnants (massive contamination, but extent unknown), and other unexploded ordnance (UXO).

Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 4 deadline: 1 August 2020
(Not on track to meet deadline)

Non-signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty

Summary

Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is massively contaminated with cluster munition remnants, but the scale of contamination is unknown. In April 2017, the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) reported confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) of 352km2, although contamination is significantly higher, international operators believe it is likely less than 2,000km2. In 2016, Lao PDR committed to a nationwide non-technical and technical survey with a view to producing Lao PDR’s first baseline estimate of cluster munition contamination by the end of 2021. In 2016, over 230km2 of land was surveyed, with a total of 180.2km2 confirmed to be contaminated, a sharp increase on the previous year. In 2016, 27.12km2 of land was cleared, a significant reduction compared to the previous four years. However, the number of submunitions destroyed during survey, clearance, and roving tasks increased to 106,636 submunitions, the most recorded in any year, surpassing the 2015 total of 100,022.

The extent of landmine contamination is not known, but the remote location of many of the mined areas mean that they are currently not a clearance priority.

Recommendations for action

  • Lao PDR should expedite implementation of nationwide non-technical survey and technical survey to reach an evidence-based estimate of the extent of cluster munition contamination.
  • National authorities should establish clear standards for the conduct of non-technical and technical survey.
  • The authorities should streamline memorandum of understanding procedures to facilitate timely use of donor funds and efficient deployment of operator’s survey and clearance assets.
  • Lao PDR should ensure sustained national funding of the sector.

Mine contamination

Lao PDR is contaminated by antipersonnel and antivehicle mines left by the Indochina conflict of the 1960s and 1970s, however the extent is not known. All sides in the war in the 1970s laid antipersonnel mines, particularly along borders and around military bases and airfields. A Handicap International (HI) survey in 1997 found mines in all 15 provinces it surveyed, contaminating 214 villages.[1] In the past, clearance operators have estimated Lao PDR may have 1,000 mined areas.[2]

The remote location of many of these areas means that mines have little impact and are not a clearance priority. Of 133,349 items of explosive remnants of war (ERW) destroyed by operators in 2016, only 112 (0.08%) were mines.[3] The National Regulatory Authority (NRA), however, has stated that antipersonnel and antivehicle mines were “used in abundance” and observed that “with a steady expansion of land use ‘mined areas’ will become areas for growing concern.”[4]

The NRA said widely used “gravel mines” had all degraded but remaining mine types included United States (US)-manufactured M14 blast antipersonnel mines, M16 bounding fragmentation mines, M18 claymore mines, and M15 and M19 antivehicle mines, and Soviet and Chinese antipersonnel mines, POMZ fragmentation mines, and Soviet-era TM41, TM46, and TM57 antivehicle mines.[5]

Cluster Munition Contamination

Lao PDR has the world’s highest level of contamination by unexploded submunitions as a result of the Indochina War of the 1960s and 1970s. The US conducted one of the heaviest aerial bombardments in history, dropping more than two million tons of bombs between 1964 and 1973,[6] including more than 270 million submunitions (known locally as bombies). Clearance teams have found 29 types of submunitions, including most commonly BLU 26, 24/66, and 63.[7]

Lao PDR does not have a reliable estimate of contamination by cluster munition remnants. The NRA reports that 14 of the country’s 17 provinces are contaminated by UXO, with nine heavily affected. In 2016, it embarked on plans for a nationwide survey with the aim of producing an evidence-based assessment of the extent of contamination (see section on Survey in 2016 below) by 2020.[8] The NRA reported the total CHA at 352 km2.[9] International operators believe total cluster munition contamination is likely to amount to less than 2,000km2.[10]

Unexploded submunitions accounted for 84% of all items cleared in 2016, a higher proportion for the third successive year that reflects the increased focus on cluster munitions in survey and clearance. In 2014, unexploded submunitions made up about two-thirds of all items cleared and in 2015, about three-quarters.[11] The NRA has identified submunitions as responsible for close to 30% of all incidents.[12] Submunitions are also said to be the type of ERW most feared by the population.[13] The UNDP has in the past reported that “economic opportunities in tourism, hydroelectric power, mining, forestry and many other areas of activity considered main engines of growth for the Lao PDR are restricted, complicated and made more expensive” by submunition contamination.[14]

Other explosive remnants of war

The NRA reports that 14 of Lao PDR’s 17 provinces are contaminated by UXO, nine of which are heavily affected.[15] Heavy contamination from ERW includes both air-dropped and ground-fired UXO, though the extent of contamination is not known. Clearance operators have reported the presence of at least 186 types of munitions in Lao PDR.[16] These range from 20lb fragmentation bombs to 2,000lb general-purpose bombs, and sometimes bigger items.[17] Other major causes of incidents are artillery shells, grenades, mortars, and rockets.[18]

Program Management

The NRA has an interministerial board composed of 22 representatives from government ministries.[19] A 2015 decree specifies that the NRA “has a government budget included in the general budget” of the board’s president.[20] A parliamentary election in March 2016 led to leadership changes, including the retirement of the NRA chairman. In September 2016, the government transferred the NRA and the mine action sector back under the control of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, where it previously had been until 2011. The reasons for the change were not known. The draft of a new decree formalizing changes to the NRA board was submitted for approval by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare in April 2017.[21]

The NRA said it reviewed its structure in 2016 and plans to develop a network of regional offices in light of preparations for a nationwide survey and in order to increase its ability to coordinate survey activities at a provincial level, including the management of information and conduct of quality assurance. The NRA intended to trial increased support in three provinces.[22]

In 2015, the UNDP appointed one technical advisor to serve the NRA and national operator UXO Lao. Sterling International, funded by the US Department of State, provided a technical advisor supporting quality management and operations at the NRA, a second adviser supporting UXO Lao, and a third adviser providing support to both organizations as required.[23]

Strategic planning

The government adopted UXO clearance as a ninth Millennium Development Goal in 2010, targeting removal of all UXO from priority agricultural land by 2020.[24] In 2013, the government identified 64 priority areas planned to become small rural townships, 167 focal sites to consolidate and “stabilize” remote rural communities, and more than 1,680 priority projects.[25] Although progress is not measured against these targets they remain as a reference point for the sector.

Strategic goals were set out in the “Safe Path Forward 2” plan, as revised in June 2015, when the NRA set a number of specific targets for the remaining five years up to the clearance deadline of 2020. These included non-technical survey of 3,860 villages, pursuing technical survey, keeping clearance as a priority of the government’s poverty eradication program, bringing down the number of casualties to less than 40 a year, and providing medical care, vocational training, and economic support to 1,500 UXO victims.[26]

Plans for technical and non-technical survey

In March 2016 the NRA issued a paper entitled, “From Survey to Safety, Quantifying and Clearing UXO Contamination in Lao PDR,” committing to a nationwide non-technical and technical survey to be completed by the end of 2021, with a view to producing Lao PDR’s first baseline estimate of cluster munition contamination.[27] The planned survey underscored the focus on tackling the threat of cluster munitions rather than general battle area clearance.[28] It superseded many of the targets set out in the “Safe Path Forward 2” plan.

The paper calls for the completion of non-technical survey of all villages in the 14 cluster munition-affected provinces within four years, at an estimated cost of US$6.84 million, and technical survey of all evidence points within five years (by the end of 2021), at a projected cost of $20 million.

Once technical survey is 30% complete; the government should be able to provide an estimate of total cluster munition contamination. Survey will be conducted mostly by international NGOs and UXO Lao, possibly with some involvement of the Lao PDR army in non-technical survey. The paper also states that the government expects that international humanitarian operators will cease conducting clearance after technical survey has been completed.[29]

The NRA set out amended targets in a sector working group meeting in November 2016. These called for non-technical survey of 3,160 villages between 2017 and 2019 at an estimated cost of $5.6 million and completion of technical survey in 2,700 villages in five years (2017–2021) at a cost of $69.7 million.[30] As of May 2017, no detailed plan, priorities, or timelines for conducting the survey had been decided. Operators were due to submit bids to the US Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) in August 2017 and to start work in January 2018.[31]

The plan outlined at the Working Group also targeted clearance for 2017–2021 of 45km2 a year, far in excess of current clearance rates (see table on Battle area clearance in 2016 below). The plan called for spending on clearance of $57 million.[32]

Information management

Sterling International issued a report that said analysis of data in the NRA International Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database found errors affecting up to 9,300 entries, or 14% of the 67,000 entries on the database. It was believed that the errors could affect 22% of the area recorded in the database as cleared or technically surveyed. The errors included operators’ misreporting of coordinates and mistaken entry of reports into IMSMA. Other errors included use of the wrong GPS format or the wrong map datum, putting many tasks in the wrong location. Sterling found that the errors occurred mostly in UXO Lao reporting and mostly between 2004 and 2010, but that it affected “many” organizations.[33]

Operators

Operators in 2016 included five humanitarian operators—one national and four international—as well as several international and national commercial operators.

UXO Lao, working in nine provinces, continued as the biggest operator employing around 1,400 staff, including 80 clearance teams, 15 technical survey teams, and nine non-technical survey teams.[34]

The HALO Trust, conducted survey and clearance in four of Savannakhet province’s most contaminated districts (Nong, Phine, Sepon, and Vilabouly) with a total of 240 staff. HI, worked in Savannakhet province with 54 staff. Mines Advisory Group (MAG), conducted survey and clearance in Xieng Khouang province and cleared CHAs identified by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) in Khamouane province with 332 staff. NPA, with 268 staff, conducted survey mainly in three southern provinces of Attapeu, Saravane, and Sekong, and supported UXO Lao in Luang Prabang.[35]

Lao PDR has accredited 15 commercial companies but in 2016 reported clearance by only seven. International commercial operators include Auslao UXO Clearance, BACTEC (Battle Area Clearance, Training, Equipment and Consultancy), Milsearch, and Munitions Management Group (MMG). National commercial operators that have been accredited include ASA Power Engineering, GREAT Company, Lao BSL UXO Clearance, Lao Uneod Cooper, OUMMA UXO Clearance, PSD, SBH, Sengphet UXO Clearance, and XTD UXO Clearance. Two local commercial companies newly accredited in 2016 were L&B UXO Clearance and Longlo Lao UXO Clearance.[36]

The Lao PDR armed forces had five humanitarian teams.[37] Its teams were reportedly preparing to start work in 2016 in Xaisomboun, Bolikhamxay, and Khamouane provinces but no clearance was reported.[38] Separately, Lao PDR army engineers not involved with humanitarian teams and not coordinated by the NRA were reportedly due to start clearance of UXO that was holding up construction work on the US$6 billion Laos-China high speed railway.[39]

Land Release (mines)

No systematic mine clearance was conducted during 2016, though operators destroyed a total of 112 antipersonnel and antivehicle mines. Of the total, 10 were destroyed during UXO clearance operations, 35 during roving tasks, 15 in the course of non-technical survey, and seven in technical survey.[40]

Land Release (cluster munition remnants)

In 2016, the UXO sector continued to focus on survey in order to make a credible determination of the extent of Lao PDR’s contamination, and to provide a basis for evidence-based survey.

The total area surveyed was reported as 229.71km2, however this figure does not include UXO Lao, which did not report survey results. The amount of land confirmed as hazardous in 2016—180.2km2—was close to 80% higher than in 2015, based on operator data (see table below).[41] By contrast, land released by clearance amounted to 27km2 in 2016 (see table on Battle area clearance in 2016 below), a drop of more than one-third from clearance in 2015 and 60% less than two years previously.

Survey in 2016 (cluster munition remnants)

Cluster munition-focused survey led by international operators continued to increase in 2016. International operators surveyed nearly 230km2 in 2016, 45% more land than the previous year, while the 139km2 they confirmed as hazardous more than doubled the 2015 result. UXO Lao provided no data on the areas surveyed and number of CHAs identified in 2016.

Technical survey of cluster munition-suspected area in 2016[42]

Operator

Area surveyed (km2)

CHAs identified

Area confirmed (km2)

HALO Trust

30.41

365

9.04

HI

34.18

185

13.73

MAG

62.19

105

46.26

NPA

102.93

404

69.91

UXO Lao

N/R

N/R

41.26

Total

229.71

1,059

180.20

Note: N/R = Not reported.

The NRA reports that a total of 28,674 submunitions were destroyed during technical survey in 2016.[43]

Operators continued to refine their cluster munition survey methodology in a bid to accelerate operations. MAG and NPA, partnering in Khamouane province, trialed a process of “chequerboarding” in which teams finding items in one survey box skipped the immediate neighboring box and surveyed the box next to that. Operators believed this may be applicable in areas of heavy contamination such as Xieng Khouang province with multiple, overlapping strikes and large CHA polygons, but less applicable in areas with more scattered strikes. After testing this procedure in the first half of 2016, as well as different survey team sizes and configurations, MAG said productivity rose 30% per day per team in the course of the year from eight to 10 50m x 50m boxes, depending on the site and terrain, to 12 to 14 boxes.[44]

At the same time NPA modified its Cluster Munition Remnants Survey (CMRS) approach in 2016 to put more emphasis on desk assessment and non-technical survey. The Evidence Point Polygon (EPP) mapping pioneered by MAG, which uses historical operations data to map and define contaminated areas, has supported this process.

NPA started a review of villages surveyed between 2011 and 2017 in Attapeu, Saravane, and Sekong, which was due for completion by July 2017, and expected to go back and resurvey several hundred villages. NPA’s internal quality management concluded teams had not made sufficient use of historical data in some villages. It amended procedures to include analysis of non-technical survey data by senior information management and operations staff and changed team structures to strengthen quality management.[45]

Clearance in 2016 (cluster munition remnants)

The sharp fall in area clearance from 41.30km2 in 2015 to 27.12km2 in 2016 was most pronounced in the results of commercial companies, which cleared little more than a quarter of the area they cleared in the previous year. Humanitarian operators recorded a 19% fall in area cleared in 2016 when the sector focused increasingly on survey, but the rewards of evidence-based clearance were apparent in a much smaller drop (8%) in the number of items they destroyed.

Battle area clearance in 2016[46]

Operator

Area cleared (km2)

Submunitions destroyed

Bombs destroyed

Other UXO destroyed

Mines destroyed

Humanitarian

HALO Trust

1,432,835

2,109

0

1,200

0

HI

64,685

302

0

302

0

MAG

5,031,422

4,717

4

186

0

NPA

647,788

1,168

0

33

0

UXO Lao

16,733,714

36,765

17

8,863

8

Subtotal

23,910,444

45,061

21

10,584

8

Commercial

BACTEC

46,656

1

0

39

0

Lao BSL

3,900

12

1

13

0

Milsearch

310,350

39

0

32

0

MMG

1,543,052

184

3

862

1

OUMMA

889,000

193

1

0

0

SBH

3,046 ,534

62

0

1

1

XTD

415,360

0

0

0

0

Subtotal

3,208,318

491

5

947

2

Total

27,118,762

45,552

26

11,531

10

 

UXO Lao continued working in the nine most contaminated provinces (Attapeu, Champasak, Houaphan, Khamouane, Luang Prabang, Saravane, Savannakhet, Sekong, and Xieng Khouang), however its area clearance dropped in 2016, falling 15% compared to the previous year.[47]

HALO, after increasing the number of teams from eight to 10 and adding new equipment, increased the amount of land it cleared in Savannakhet province by one-third to 1.4km2.[48]

MAG remained the international operator with the largest area clearance operation working in three districts of Xieng Khouang. In Khamouane province, it cleared CHAs identified in survey conducted by NPA. But the ending of two grants in late 2015 and early 2016 meant that by the end of the year it was operating with only half the number of BAC teams it had in 2015, and the area it cleared was almost one-third less than the previous year.[49]

HI shifted the focus of its small number of teams from clearance to technical survey and the area cleared fell sharply as a result from 0.5km2 (500,000m2) in 2015 to 64,155m2 in 2016.[50]

NRA data on roving operations showed the number of submunitions destroyed was 40% higher than the previous year, but significant discrepancies with results reported by operators in both years left the outcome uncertain.[51]

Roving clearance operations in 2016[52]

Operator

Submunitions destroyed

Bombs destroyed

Other UXO destroyed

Mines destroyed

HALO

5,075

15

1,222

0

HI

2,308

27

1,295

5

MAG

5,595

4

988

0

Milsearch

13

0

1

0

NPA

11,410

3

826

0

UXO Lao

8,009

31

1,641

30

Total

32,410

80

5,973

35

 

Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 4 Compliance

Under Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Lao PDR is required to destroy all cluster munition remnants in areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 August 2020.

Lao PDR will need to apply for a deadline extension given the extent of its cluster munition contamination, but is expected to present an evidence-based estimate of the extent of contamination as a result of its proposed national survey. Plans for conducting the survey and accelerating clearance will depend on the level of international donor support. (See the Support to Mine Action profile for more details.)

Five-Year Summary of Clearance

Year

Area cleared (km2)

2016

27.12

2015

41.30

2014

67.78

2013

64.86

2012

54.42

Total

255.48

 

 

The Monitor acknowledges the contributions of the Mine Action Review (www.mineactionreview.org), which has conducted the mine action research in 2017, including on survey and clearance, and shared all its resulting landmine and cluster munition reports with the Monitor. The Monitor is responsible for the findings presented online and in its print publications.


[1] HI, Living with UXO, National Survey on the Socio-Economic Impact of UXO in Lao PDR (Vientiane/Brussels, 1997), p. 7.

[2] Interview with Michael Hayes, Programme Manager, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Vientiane, 5 February 2004.

[3] “Sector Achievements 2016,” received from NRA, 19 May 2017.

[4] NRA, “UXO types: Mines,” undated.

[5] Ibid.

[6] “US bombing records in Laos, 1964–1973, Congressional Record,” 14 May 1975.

[7] NRA, “UXO Sector Annual Report 2009,” Vientiane, undated but 2010, p. 13; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2013), Form F.

[8] Interview with Phoukhieo Chanthasomboune, Director, NRA, Vientiane, 4 May 2016; and NRA, “From Survey to Safety, Quantifying and Clearing UXO Contamination in Lao PDR,” March 2016.

[9] Information provided by Phoukhieo Chanthasomboune, NRA, 27 April 2017.

[10] Interviews with international operators, Vientiane, 3–7 May 2016.

[11] “Sector Achievements” for 2015 and 2014, received from the NRA, Vientiane, 4 July 2016, and 11 May 2015.

[12] NRA, “UXO Sector Annual Report 2012,” Vientiane, undated but 2013, p. 5.

[13] Interview with Jo Durham, author of “Post-Clearance Impact Assessment,” Vientiane, 10 November 2011.

[14] “Hazardous Ground, Cluster Munitions and UXO in the Lao PDR,” UNDP, Vientiane, October 2008, p. 8.

[15] Interview with Phoukhieo Chanthasomboune, NRA, Vientiane, 4 May 2016; and NRA, “From Survey to Safety, Quantifying and Clearing UXO Contamination in Lao PDR,” March 2016.

[16] Landmine Action, “Explosive remnants of war and mines other than anti-personnel mines, Global Survey 2003–2004,” March 2005, p. 104.

[17] NRA, “UXO types: Bombs,” undated.

[18] NRA, “National Survey of UXO Victims and Accidents, Phase 1,” Vientiane, 2009, p. 39.

[19] NRA, “UXO Sector Annual Report 2009,” Vientiane, May 2009, p. 14; and Government Decree No. 43, “On the appointment of the NRA Board,” (Unofficial translation) 3 February 2015; and interview with Phoukhieo Chanthasomboune, NRA, Vientiane, 28 April 2015.

[20] Government Decree No. 43, “On the appointment of the NRA Board,” (Unofficial translation) 3 February 2015; and interview with Phoukhieo Chanthasomboune, NRA, Vientiane, 28 April 2015.

[21] Interviews with Allan Poston, Technical Adviser, UNDP, 26 April 2017; and with Phoukhieou Chanthasomboune, NRA, 27 April 2017.

[22] Information provided by Phoukhieo Chanthasomboune, NRA, 27 April 2017.

[23] Interviews with Allan Poston, UNDP, Vientiane, 6 May 2016; and with Nils Christensen, UXO Portfolio Manager, UNDP, Vientiane, 6 May 2016.

[24] “Laos: new MDG to tackle UXOs,” IRIN, 12 November 2010.

[25] Interviews with Phoukhieo Chanthasomboune, NRA, Vientiane, 13 June 2013; and with and Phil Bean, NRA, Vientiane, 12 June 2013.

[26] Interview with Phoukhieo Chanthasomboune, NRA, Vientiane, 4 May 2016.

[27] NRA, “From Survey to Safety, Quantifying and Clearing UXO Contamination in Lao PDR,” March 2016.

[28] Interview with Allan Poston, UNDP, Vientiane, 6 May 2016.

[29] NRA, “From Survey to Safety, Quantifying and Clearing UXO Contamination in Lao PDR,” March 2016, pp. 1–3.

[30] “Survey and clearance plan for UXO/mine action sector in Lao PDR, 2017−2021,” presentation by Phommachanh Khammanichanh, NRA, 8 November 2016.

[31] Interviews with Allan Poston, UNDP, Vientiane, 24 and 26 April 2017.

[32] “Survey and clearance plan for UXO/mine action sector in Lao PDR, 2017−2021.”

[33] “Data errors on IMSMA,” Nigel Orr, Technical Adviser, Sterling International, 26 April 2017.

[34] Interviews with Jonas Zachrisson, Country Director, NPA, 24 April 2017; and with Thipasone Soukhathammavong, National Programme Director, UXO Lao, Vientiane, 26 April 2017.

[35] Emails from Susanna Smale, Programme Manager, HALO Trust, 11 May 2017; from Kim Warren, Head of Mission, HI, 22 March 2017; from Simon Rea, Country Director, MAG, 19 May 2017; and from Thanalat Samalavong, NPA, 26 May 2017; (for UXO Lao) “Sector Achievements 2016,” received from NRA, 19 May 2017; and interviews with Jonas Zachrisson, NPA, 24 April 2017; and with Thipasone Soukhathammavong, UXO Lao, Vientiane, 26 April 2017.

[36] Information provided by Phoukhieo Chanthasomboune, NRA, 27 April 2017.

[37] “Progress and Plans of Lao People’s Army,” presentation by Lao Army Humanitarian Team, 8 November 2016.

[38] Interview with Phoukhieo Chanthasomboune, NRA, Vientiane, 27 April 2017.

[39] Souksakhone Vaenko, “Army deployed to clear UXO for Laos-China railway,” Vientiane Times, 6 January 2017.

[40] “Sector Achievements 2016,” received from NRA, 19 May 2017.

[41] The NRA reported 101.48km2 confirmed as hazardous in 2015 and 113.41km2 in 2016 but its data included major discrepancies with operators’ results. The NRA did not record any survey activity by HALO Trust and reported NPA confirmed 12.14km2 as hazardous area.

[42] Data provided by Susanna Smale, HALO Trust, 11 May 2017; by Kim Warren, HI, 22 March 2017; by Simon Rea, MAG, 19 May 2017; and by Thanalat Samalavong, NPA, 26 May 2017; and (for UXO Lao) “Sector Achievements 2016,” received from NRA, 19 May 2017.

[43] “Sector Achievements 2016,” received from NRA, 19 May 2017.

[44] Email from Simon Rea, MAG, 11 April 2017; and Skype interview, 25 April 2017.

[45] Emails from Jonas Zachrisson, NPA, 17 March and 23 May 2017; and interview, 24 April 2017.

[46] “Sector Achievements 2016,” received from NRA, 19 May 2017.

[47] Interview with Thipasone Soukhathammavong, UXO Lao, Vientiane, 26 April 2017; and with Phoukhieo Chanthasomboune, NRA, Vientiane, 27 April 2017.

[48] Email from Susanna Smale, HALO Trust, 22 March 2017; and Skype interview, 25 April 2017.

[49] Email from Simon Rea, MAG, 11 April 2017; and Skype interview, 25 April 2017.

[50] Email from Kim Warren, HI, 22 March 2017.

[51] “Sector Achievements 2016,” received from the NRA, 19 May 2017.

[52] NRA data on HALO Trust roving operations in 2016 included items reported by HALO as destroyed during technical survey.


Support for Mine Action

Last updated: 11 December 2017

In 2016, 11 donors contributed US$35.1 million to support mine action in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), a 17% decrease compared to the $42.6 million in 2015.[1]

In September 2016, the United States (US) announced it would provide $90 million over three years to support unexploded ordinance (UXO) survey and clearance operations.[2] New Zealand also declared it would commit $7.3 million to support UXO clearance and survey through the UNDP.[3] Consequently, the US and New Zealand together provided nearly 90% of all international funding in 2016.

In 2016, the government of Lao PDR reported a contribution of some $750,000 to its own mine action program, mainly to cover administrative costs such as rent, equipment, and personnel expenses.[4]

International contributions: 2016[5]

Donor

Sector

Amount (national currency)

Amount (US$)

US

Clearance and risk education

US$20,500,000

20,500,000

New Zealand

Clearance

NZ$10,350,000

7,220,160

European Union

Clearance and risk education

€2,400,000

2,657,280

Norway

Clearance and victim assistance

NOK15,700,000

1,870,473

United Kingdom

Clearance and risk education

£764,016

1,035,624

Netherlands

Various

€536,863

594,415

Japan

Clearance

¥62,768,753

577,662

Ireland

Clearance

€400,00

442,880

Luxembourg

Clearance and risk education

€150,000

166,080

South Korea

Clearance and risk education

N/A

50,000

Switzerland

Clearance and risk education

CHF31,588

32,076

Total

 

 

35,146,650

Note: N/A = not applicable.

With more than $192 million received from 2012–2016, international contributions to Lao PDR have averaged some $38 million per year, which is more than twice as much as during the previous five-year period 2007–2011, when donors provided $78.4 million (an average of $15.7 million per year).

Summary of international contributions: 2012–2016[6]

Year

 Amount (US$)

% change from previous year (US$)

2016

35,146,650

-17

2015

42,594,976

+14

2014

38,091,423

+9

2013

34,827,039

-16

2012

41,344,035

+92

Total

192,004,123

 

 



[1] Ireland, Convention on Conventional Weapons Amended Protocol II Annual Report, Form E, and Annex 1, 30 March 2017; Japan, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 30 April 2017; response to Monitor questionnaire by Olivia Douwes, Policy Officer, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2017; New Zealand, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form I, 27 April 2017; email from Ingrid Schoyen, Senior Adviser, Section for Humanitarian Affairs, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 31 May 2017; South Korea, Convention on Conventional Weapons Amended Protocol II Annual Report, Form B, 26 April 2017; Switzerland, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form I, 28 April 2017; United Kingdom, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 30 April 2017; response to Monitor questionnaire by Frank Meeussen, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Export Control, European External Action Service, 30 September 2017; and email from Steve Costner, Deputy Office Director, Weapons Removal and Abatement, United States (US) Department of State, 30 October 2017.

[2] The White House, “Fact sheet: US-Laos relations,” 6 September 2016.

[4] Lao PDR, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form I, 27 April 2017.

[5] Average exchange rate for 2016: €1=US$1.1072; ¥108.66=US$1; NZ$1=US$0.6976; NOK8.3936=US$1; £1=US$1.3555; CHF0.9848=US$1. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 4 January 2017.

[6] See previous Monitor profiles. Totals for international support in 2015 and 2014 have been rectified as a result of revised US funding data. Total for 2012 has also been rectified as a result of database clean-up.


Casualties

Last updated: 16 June 2017

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end 2016

At least 50,713 mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties (29,550 killed; 21,163 injured)

Casualties occurring in 2016

59 (2015: 42)

2016 casualties by survival outcome

10 killed; 49 injured (2015: 9 killed; 33 injured)

2016 casualties by device type

51 unexploded submunitions; 8 ERW

 

The National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for Unexploded Ordnance/Mine Action Sector in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) reported 59 casualties from unexploded submunitions and ERW for 2016. Ten people were killed and 49 were injured. The vast majority of casualties, 51, were caused by unexploded submunitions and eight by other ERW.[1]

The majority of the casualties were male (51). Of the total, 37 were children, including five girls, and 22 were adults, including three women.[2] The 34 incidents occurred in 10 provinces: Attapue, Champasak, Hauphan, Xiengkhaung, Laungprabang, Phongsaly, Vientiane province, Savannakhet, and Sekong province.[3]

The casualty total for 2016 was the highest total since 2011, when 99 casualties were reported.[4]

By the end of 2016, the Monitor had identified at least 50,713 casualties, of which 29,550 were killed and 21,163 were injured.[5] The first phase of a nationwide casualty survey recording retrospective data was completed in 2008, which identified 50,136 mine/ERW casualties between 1964 and 2008. Of these, ERW caused the most casualties, followed by landmines, and then unexploded submunitions.[6] Between 2009 and 2016, a further 577 casualties were reported.[7]

Mine/ERW incidents continued to be reported in 2017.

Cluster munition casualties

Unexploded submunitions were reported to have caused 7,729 casualties in the period 1964–2016.[8] In 2016, unexploded submunition incidents were reported to have resulted in 51 casualties.[9]



[1] Email from Bountao Chanthavongsa, UXO Victim Assistance Officer, NRA, 11 May 2017.

[2] Ibid., 28 March 2017.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Analysis of data conducted by the Monitor.

[5] This total is based on the NRA National Survey of UXO Victims and Accidents Phase 1, which collected data on casualties between 1964 and 2008, and Monitor analysis of data from 2009 to 2016. However, the 2008 data is not complete, as information for that year depended on the data of the visit to the surveyed community and no data was collected after October 2008. See NRA, “National Survey of UXO Victims and Accidents Phase 1,” Vientiane, undated but 2009, pp. ix–x.

[6] NRA, “National Survey of UXO Victims and Accidents Phase 1,” Vientiane, undated but 2009, pp. ix–x.

[7] Analysis of available data by the Monitor.

[8] Emails from Michael Boddington, NRA, 18 and 26 August 2010; CMC, “CMC Media Coverage Report: First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Vientiane, Lao PDR 9–12 November 2010”; NRA casualty data provided by Bountao Chanthavongsa, NRA, 29 March 2013; emails from Bountao Chanthavongsa, NRA, 3 August 2015, and 11 May 2017.

[9] Emails from Bountao Chanthavongsa, NRA, 11 May 2017, and 3 August 2016.


Victim Assistance

Last updated: 16 March 2018

Action points based on findings

  • Intensify efforts to improve access to rehabilitationservices from remote and rural areas, including allocating resources to bring beneficiaries for rehabilitation and ensuring that transport is available.
  • Hold regular disability sector coordination meetings and link victim assistance coordination with the development of disability strategies.
  • Improve state support for psychological and social assistance, including peer-to-peer counseling and survivor-driven economic activities.
  • Coordinate the rapid implementation of recently adopted legislation as well as existing policies and planning that could hasten developments in the availability and accessibility of services.

Victim assistance commitments

Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) is responsible for significant numbers of cluster munition victims and survivors of other explosive remnants of war (ERW), as well as landmine survivors, who are in need. Lao PDR has made commitments to provide victim assistance through Convention on Conventional Weapons Protocol V and has victim assistance obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Lao PDR ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 25 September 2009.

In 2012, Lao PDR estimated that there were some 15,000 mine/ERW survivors still living, including approximately 2,500 survivors of unexploded submunitions.[1]

Victim assistance since 2015

Lao PDR stated that there were limited resources available and that few donors made victim assistance a priority.[2] The budget allocated to victim assistance is very limited, and as a result Lao PDR cannot pursue its strategic plan for the Dubrovnik Action Plan period through 2020.[3] Lao PDR also noted that it “has a long way to go to fully achieve the victim assistance goals within the broader disability and development frameworks.”[4] No change was reported by Lao PDR in its efforts to raise awareness of the rights of cluster munition victims and persons with other disabilities since 2010 and Lao PDR reported that no organizations were conducting advocacy on victim assistance.[5]

Victim assistance in 2016

Despite ongoing activities, a lack of funding means most mine/ERW survivors were not able to access adequate assistance. Survivors lacked ongoing disability services, like physical therapy, access to prosthetics, mental health support, and livelihood training.[6]

Assessing victim assistance needs

In its initial report on the CRPD submitted in 2017, Lao PDR stated: “War with foreign aggressors has taken its toll on the lives and assets of the multiethnic people and had a heavy impact of the farmland and mountainous forest land used for foraging. 25% of the country is littered with unexploded ordinance (UXOs). Between 1964 and 2008, a total of 50,000 people have fallen victim to UXOs, of whom 30,000 died and 20,000 survived, 13,500 becoming disabled. These victims included women and children. The repercussions of the war, especially these UXOs, have become a major obstacle for the Lao people and socio-economic development and constitute a cause underlying the underdevelopment and poverty of the Lao multiethnic people.”[7]

The National Regulatory Authority (NRA) Survivor Tracking System, a system for collecting data on new casualties, was designed to provide an ongoing survey of all survivors’ needs. The survey was conducted in 10 provinces; some 8,918 survivor profiles were recorded. In 2016, Lao PDR reported that the results of the survey are available for all development partners and victims assistance operators.[8] In addition to the 10 provinces covered by the survivor tracking system, there are known to be mine/ERW survivors in the capital Vientiane. However, most of these are believed to be former military personnel who, as veterans with disabilities, are entitled to special social protection measures and are likely already covered by those systems.[9] Based on the survey data, the UXO Sector the Multi Year Work Plan for the Unexploded Ordnance in Lao PDR (2016–2020) set a target of assisting 1,500 UXO survivors during the period (300 survivors per year).[10]

World Education maintained its own detailed beneficiary database and information storage system. Its Victim Assistance Support Team (VAST) staff, including a data specialist, also had training on the Information System for Mine Action (IMSMA) used by the NRA and were able to make the data compatible.[11]

An Australian-funded project to identify barriers and facilitators to social and economic participation and development for persons with disabilities in Lao PDR together with Lao organizations (government, disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs), and national and international NGOs) was undertaken by Curtin University in order to improve their information about people living with disability, and develop disability-inclusive development policies and programs. Australia also supported a four-week program for Lao government representatives from the ministries of labor and social welfare, health, and education and sports, along with delegates from DPOs, service providers, and advocacy agencies.[12]

Victim assistance coordination

Government coordinating body/focal point

The NRA Victim Assistance Unit

Coordinating mechanism

Technical Working Group on Victim Assistance (TWGVA) together with district and provincial focal points

Plan

The NRA UXO/Mine Victim Assistance Strategy 2014–2020 (approved in 2014)

 

The NRA shared victim assistance information with stakeholders and attended meetings of actors in the disability sector. Victim assistance remained a minor component of the work of the ministries responsible for disability issues.[13]

A victim assistance strategic plan, adopted in 2014, addresses seven sections of victim assistance implementation: data collection; medical care; physical rehabilitation; psychological support and social inclusion; economic rehabilitation and education; legislation and policy; and coordination.[14] The victim assistance strategy authorizes the NRA to cooperate with the National Committee for Disabled and Elderly People (NCDE) to develop a sector-wide strategy for persons with disabilities; with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare to ensure adequate employment access; and with the Ministry of Health on the physical and psychological needs of cluster munition victims.[15]

The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare holds primary responsibility for the needs of, and related services to, persons with disabilities through the NCDE. Service providers enter into memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the relevant state ministries responsible for the sector in which the NGOs will operate.[16]

In 2014, World Education began implementing a multi-year the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded project for the disability sector: Training, Economic Empowerment, Assistive Technology, and Medical and Physical Rehabilitation (TEAM).[17]

In 2017, the USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia reported an intent, through a call for implementers, to provide US$15 million funding over a five-year period for services and support to the disability sector in Lao PDR.[18]

Victim assistance is one of the three main components of the NRA strategy, entitled “Safe Path Forward II 2011–2020.”[19]

Lao PDR has its own national Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), “SDG18: Lives Safe from UXO,” launched during an ASEAN Summit in Vientiane in September 2016. SDG18 targets include support to healthcare and livelihoods of UXO victims.The project “Moving towards achieving SDG18 – Removing the UXO obstacle to Development in Lao PDR”will be implemented by UXO Lao and the UNDP through to the end of 2021.

Reporting

In 2017, Lao PDR reported on victim assistance in its Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report for calendar year 2016, and made a statement on victim assistance at the Convention on Cluster Munitions Seventh Meeting of States Parties in September 2017.[20]

Inclusion and participation in victim assistance

Representatives of theLao Disabled People’s Association(LDPA), Lao Disabled Womens Development Center (LDWDC), and Quality of Life Association (QLA)–Xieng Khouang province, actively participated in consultative processes and special events, including annual review meetings and ERW sector-wide working group meetings.[21]

Lao PDR has never included a survivor on its delegation for the Convention on Cluster Munitions Meetings of States Parties or intersessional meetings.

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities

Name of organization

Type of organization

Type of activity

Centre for Medical Rehabilitation

Government

Physical rehabilitation, community-based rehabilitation, prosthetics and wheelchair production: the only wheelchair producer in Lao PDR

Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE)

Local organization

Capacity-building for health staff in prosthetics, orthotics, and physiotherapy through a network of five Ministry of Health rehabilitation centers nationwide; provided direct support for beneficiaries in collaboration with the Ministry of Health

Quality of Life Association (QLA) –Xieng Khouang province

National NGO

Economic inclusion; information center; fundraising; education, peer support, and advocacy; immediate initial medical support to survivors through the War Victims Medical Fund (WVMF)

Association for Aid and Relief Japan (AAR)

International NGO

First aid training, healthcare capacity-building and awareness; economic inclusion and livelihoods for persons with disabilities; accessible sports

Humanity & Inclusion/Handicap International (HI)

International NGO

Capacity-building of the rehabilitation sector; economic inclusion; support to the Laos Disabled People’s Association (LDPA

World Education

International NGO

Financial support for initial medical treatment and continuing medical care in seven provinces; medical services capacity-building; income-generation activities; education support; and psychosocial support and follow-up

ICRC

International organization

Support to physical rehabilitation centers through COPE

 

Emergency and continuing medical care

Village health volunteers (6,000) provided basic healthcare and first responder emergency assistance in rural areas across Lao PDR. World Education worked with the Ministry of Health, various international NGOs, and village health volunteers to create a comprehensive First Aid curriculum for volunteers in 2016.[22] The approved curriculum was being used for training in Xieng Khouang, Houaphan, and Sekong provinces.[23] World Education and provincial departments of health jointly implemented the War Victims Medical Fund (WVMF) project.[24] In 2016, the Ministry of Health, supported by World Education and QLA, provided 67 survivors with medical care, while 18 survivors from 2015 also received follow-up treatment.[25]

Physical rehabilitation, including prosthetics

The Ministry of Health provides prosthetic and orthotic services in Lao PDR under the Center for Medical Rehabilitation and associated physical rehabilitation centers, and in cooperation with COPE. There are five rehabilitation centers, the National Rehabilitation Center (NRC) and another in each urban provincial center.[26] Clients are reimbursed for travel costs and are provided with a small living allowance during their stay for rehabilitation.[27] In 2016,136 survivors received rehabilitation services through COPE (129 men and seven women).[28]

In 2017, there was only one qualified doctor specializing in rehabilitation medicine in Lao PDR.[29] The lack of licensed ortho-prosthetists and physiotherapists in rehabilitation centers results in a level of demand that was not adequately met.[30] A 2016 study, carried out at the Vientiane Savannakhet and Xieng Khouang rehabilitation centers, showed that while respondents reported being “quite satisfied” with the prosthetic devices received, only 66.5% of devices used were said to be in good condition; 12.8% said they were not currently using their device, and some had not used their device at all. Among lower limb prosthetic users surveyed, 61.5% (88) were mine/ERW survivors.[31]

HI worked on improving servicesat the five rehabilitation centers. This included supporting the design and implementation of a national rehabilitation strategic action plan and corresponding guidelines developed by the Ministry of Health; a more effective training program through the Center of Medical Rehabilitation and Medical Technologies Faculty, and establishing a management system. A national rehabilitation taskforce with five sub-taskforce groups were to be established.[32]

In 2015, the ICRC took over the physical rehabilitation project from its MoveAbility Foundation, formerly known as the ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled.[33] Having moved resources from economic inclusion to rehabilitation, the ICRC began to support three physical rehabilitation centers in Lao PDR in 2015.[34] However, an assessment of rehabilitation needs led the ICRC to reconsider and conclude its support for three prosthetic centers. It focused instead on strengthening national capacities in rehabilitation services management in 2016. The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare declined an ICRC offer to train technicians and physiotherapists at one center. The ICRC facilitated a study tour of a Cambodian rehabilitation center for Lao government officials.[35]

Economic and social inclusion and psychological support

World Education and QLA provided vocational training and economic support specifically for survivors. Survivors also received education scholarships through World Education. Through World Education, 212 survivors (including 98 women) received education scholarships and 24 survivors (four were women) were provided economic inclusion support. QLA provided vocational training for 34 survivors received economic inclusion support and 58 survivors received education scholarships. One very poor survivor also received a house.[36]

HI ran a project to support persons with disabilities, including survivors and their family members, with income-generating and livelihood activities.[37] At the end of June 2016, the project in ERW-affected districts Nong and Sepone of Savannakhet province, was completed. In May 2016, the project was extended to Kaysone Phomvihane district, Savannakhet province, and Pake district in Champassak province.[38]

Psychological support was generally not available in Lao PDR. World Education’s integrated victim assistance project, carried out by its Victim Assistance Support Team (VAST), mapped services and provided individual support to survivors to address psychologic and other needs, including referrals to services. VAST also operates a peer support program with survivor facilitators providing psychosocial assistance. Five new peer support facilitators were engaged In 2016.[39] In 2016, 215 survivors (including 54 women) received psychosocial assessments and support through World Education.[40]

Laws and policies

Social protection programs support war veterans with disabilities unable to work, however there were no social protection programs to support other persons with disabilities in similar situations. DPOs recommended that social protection programs should be extended to include all persons with disabilities.[41]

The Decree on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Decree No. 137, 2014) was adopted alongside the Decree on the Organization of Operation of National Committee for Disabled People and the Elderly (Decree No. 232) as the mechanism for coordination of implementation with the National Committee for Disabled and Elderly People(NCDE).[42]

In 2016, HI continued to supported efforts to establish strategic planning for implementation of the Decree on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at national and local levels. Thus, HI technically supported the NCDE and Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare in developing the policy framework for persons with disabilities in Lao PDR. The project aimed to conduct an inclusive process with persons with disabilities and representative organizations and 12 consultative meetings, in order to facilitate the development of the national disability strategy and its corresponding measurable action plan in 2017.[43]

Legislation adopted in 2009[44] requires that the construction of buildings, roads, and public places provide facilities for persons with disabilities, according to a list of access requirements for public facilities.[45]

Lao PDR reported that the government works together with the LDPA to organize training and seminars for court officials and other relevant bodies concerning the rights of persons with disabilities to access the justice system and procedures for assistance in the event of a problem or complaint.[46]



[1] Statement of Lao PDR, Convention on Cluster Munitions Third Meeting of States Parties, Oslo, 12 September 2012; and Mine Ban Treaty Voluntary Article 7 Report(for up to end of 2010), Form J.

[2] Victim assistance statements of Lao PDR, Convention on Cluster Munitions First Review Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 7–11 September 2015.

[3] UNDP in Lao PDR, “UXO Sector Working Group approves new strategy,” 16 November 2015.

[4] National Regulatory Authority (NRA), “HRTM 2015: UXO Sector Working Group Progress Report,” Vientiane, 15 November 2015.

[5] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2016), Form H.

[6] Daniel De Cartere, “Laos Victims of Unexploded Artillery Face Unintentional Consequences,” VoA, 4 August 2016.

[7] Initial Report of the Lao PDR On the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD_C_LAO_1), 6 October 2017.

[8] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2016), Form H; Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2014), Form H; interview with Bountao Chanthavongsa, NRA, Vientiane, 11 June 2015; and statement of Lao PDR, Convention on Cluster Munitions Sixth Meting of States Parties, Geneva, 6 September 2016.

[9] Interview with Bountao Chanthavongsa, NRA, Vientiane, 11 June 2015.

[10] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2016), Form H.

[11] Interview with World Education, Vientiane, 12 June 2015.

[13] Interview with Bountao Chanthavongsa, NRA, Vientiane, 11 June 2015.

[14] NRA, “UXO/Mine Victim Assistance Strategy 2014–2020,” undated; and NRA, “UXO Sector Annual Report 2013,” undated, p. 10.

[15] Statement of Lao PDR, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Working Group on Victim Assistance, Geneva, 9 April 2014.

[16] Notes from Monitor field mission to Lao PDR, 11–12 June 2015.

[17] TEAM, “Project Updates,” undated; and interview with World Education VAST, Vientiane, 12 June 2015.

[18] Federal Grants, “Disability Sector Support Activity in Lao PDR,” 16 June 2017.

[19] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report(for the period of 1 December 2010 to 31 December 2011), Form H.

[20] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form H; and statement of Lao PDR, Convention on Cluster Munitions Seventh Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, September 2016.

[21] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2016), Form H.

[22] World Education, “TEAM Trainings Build Capacity of Local Partners,” undated.

[23] World Education, “First Aid for National Village Health Volunteers,” undated.

[24] Stacey Pizzino, Colette McInerney, and Jo Durham, “Emerging Patterns of ERW Injuries in Laos,” The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Issue 20.3, November 2016.

[25] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2016), Form H.

[26] The NRC inVientiane and others in Savannakhet, Xieng Khouang, Luang Prabang, and Champassak provinces.

[27] Jo Durham, Vanphanom Sychareun, Phonevilay Santisouk, and Kongmany Chaleunvong, “Users’ Satisfaction with Prosthetic and Orthotic Assistive Devices in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic: A Cross-sectional Study,” Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development, Vol. 27, No. 3, November 2016.

[28] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2016), Form H.

[30] ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Programme (PRP) “Annual Report 2016,” Geneva, November 2017, p. 52.

[31] Jo Durham et al, “Users’ Satisfaction with Prosthetic and Orthotic Assistive Devices in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic: A Cross-sectional Study,” Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development, Vol. 27, No. 3, November 2016.

[32] HI, “Countries we work in: Laos,” undated.

[33] ICRC PRP “Annual Report 2016,” Geneva, November 2017, p. 52.

[34] ICRC, “Annual Report 2015,” Geneva, May 2016, p. 372; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form H.

[35] ICRC, “Annual Report 2016,” Geneva, May 2017, pp. 354 and 356.

[36] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2016), Form H.

[37] Ibid.

[38] HI, “Countries we work in: Laos,” undated; andWorld Education, TEAM, “Current Sub-Recipients: ‎Handicap International (HI),” undated but 2017.

[39] World Education, “World Education in the Lao PDR 2016 Impact Report,” p. 4; and interview with World Education VAST, Vientiane, 12 June 2015.

[40] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2016), Form H.

[41]Universal Periodic Review (UPR 18),” Stakeholders report prepared by Lao Disability Network, Lao PDR, coordinated by LDPA, undated but 2014.

[42] UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), “Civil Society Organization Report to the Second Session of the Working Group on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013–2022,” New Delhi, 2–3 March 2015, p. 3.

[43] World Education, TEAM, “Current Sub-Recipients: ‎Handicap International (HI),” undated but 2017.

[44] Law on Construction No. 05/NA, 2009, art. 5, para. 4.

[45]Universal Periodic Review (UPR 18),” Stakeholders report prepared by Lao Disability Network, Lao PDR, coordinated by LDPA, undated but 2014.

[46] Lao PDR, Initial CRPD Report, “Article 13: Access to justice,” 2017.