To speed up the settlement of bomb and mine consequences, Vietnam needs stronger cooperation and support from international partners, thus ensuring that no more people are killed or injured due to the post-war bombs, mines and unexploded ordnances (UXO), according to the Vietnam Mine Action Centre (VNMAC).
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| Detecting bombs and mines for clearance__Photo: VNA |
Decades after the end of war, Vietnam still suffers from the deadly threat from millions of tons of bombs, mines and UXO left by war, which have killed more than 40,000 and caused disabilities to over 60,000 others. At present, over 17 percent of the country's total natural land area is still polluted with bombs, mines and UXO.
In more than 10 years from 2010 to 2020, nearly 500,000 hectares of areas were cleared from bombs and mines under the National Mine Action Program in the 2010-2020 period and mission orientation for 2021-2025 (Program 504).
More than 5,000 victims of bombs and mines have received support in various forms worth over VND 50 billion (USD 2.18 million). Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people in bomb and mine polluted areas have been educated with measures to prevent accidents related to bombs and mines.
Despite difficulties, the Party and State have allocated great resources to the settlement of problems related to bombs and mines, while calling for support from the whole society and international donors for the work.
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| At a signing ceremony of a MoU on assistance and cooperation in mine action between the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) with Vietnam (Photo: nhandan.vn) |
Many projects in the field have been implemented with assistance from the governments of the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the UK, Norway, Germany, Australia and Russia as well as international organizations such as UNDP, UNICEF and many other international donors.
In the 2010-2020 period, total cost for activities under the national program reached over VND 12 trillion (USD 525.27 million), of which more than VND 10 trillion came from the domestic budget and more than VND 2 trillion from foreign non-refundable sources.
However, despite the efforts, Vietnam has completed just nearly 70 percent of the target in bomb and mine clearance, while the ratio of polluted land area in the central and Central Highlands localities such as Quang Tri, Quang Binh, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Kon Tum and Gia Lai remains high.
In order to speed up the progress of bomb and mine consequence settlement, the VNMAC has recommended measures to the Steering Committee for Program 504, including increasing the role of organizations and individuals, along with promoting international cooperation and the attraction of ODA in the work.
The center underlined the need for the Mine Action Partnership Group (MAPG) in Vietnam to intensify its operation and expand the country’s partnership with promising partners while fostering ties with traditional ones to broaden activities in bomb and mine clearance across Vietnam.
It is also necessary to make full use of support from international organizations in researching and developing new technologies in bomb and mine clearance.
Vietnam aims to eliminate accident caused by post-war bombs, mines and UXO in any corner of the country by 2025.-(VNA/VLLF)
