Support for the Institutional Strengthening of the Lao National UXO Programme (UXO Lao)

The UXO Lao female de-mining team in Xieng Khouang Province. Photo: UNDP Lao PDR/Laophoto

About the project

The Government of Lao PDR established the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXO Lao) in 1996, with support from UNDP, UNICEF and other partners. UXO Lao is located within the Prime Minister’s Office (Office of Rural Development and Poverty Eradication). The organisation undertakes surveys to identify UXO contamination, clearance of land, roving tasks to respond to UXO discovery by the public, and risk education activities in affected areas. UXO Lao’s national office is located in Vientiane and coordinates and serves provincial offices in the nine most heavily impacted provinces – Attapeu, Champasack, Huaphanh, Khammuane, Luang Prabang, Saravan, Savannakhet, Sekong and Xieng Khuang.

Through this project, UNDP supports UXO Lao to develop its institutional capacity in the areas of planning, implementation, quality and financial management in order to address the long-term humanitarian and development challenges posed by the presence of UXO. More specifically, the UNDP supports UXO Lao by providing technical advisors on UXO operations, programme and financial management as well as supporting various learning opportunities for the national UXO Lao staff at both the national and provincial levels.

Photo: UNDP Lao PDR/Valter Ziantoni

What have we accomplished?

Improved management capacities have enabled UXO Lao to bid for and report on funding for its activities from international donors.
From 1996 to 2014, UXO Lao has cleared more than 30,000 hectares of land, destroyed more than 400,000 UXO and completed more than 26,000 roving tasks in response to calls for assistance from more than 3,700 villages.
Conducted more than 11,000 risk education visits reaching more than 2.8 million people, bringing Lao PDR closer to achieving Convention on Cluster Munitions targets relating to Clearance and Risk Education.
Mainstreamed gender balance into its activities through the establishment of three all-female UXO clearance teams.
Adopted new ‘evidence-based’ survey methodology and new Concept of Operations to establish a more precise understanding of national UXO contamination and clearance planning.
Established the Trust Fund for Support to the Full Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Lao PDR to mobilise and coordinate international donor funds.

Related information:

UXO Lao brochure (6.1 MB)