UXO Free Impact
UXO Lao is committed to clearing deadly unexploded ordnance and creating safe, usable land for communities across Laos, helping protect lives, support local development, and build a safer future for generations to come.
More than fifty years after the end of the Indochina Conflict during 1964-1973
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) remains a major socio-economic obstacle, causing casualties, restricting land use, and increasing development costs.
On February 13, 1996, The Lao Government established the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXO Lao) under the Prime Minister’s Decree No. 49 with support from UNDP, UNICEF, and other stakeholders, UXO Lao works under supervision of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.
UXO Lao has a total workforce more than 1,700 staff across its headquarters in Vientiane and provincial offices. It operates in nine of the country’s most UXO-affected provinces (Huaphan, Luang Prabang, Xiengkhuang, Khammuane, Savannakhet, Salavan, Sekong, Champasak, and Attapeu). In each province, the provincial office works closely with the Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare and coordinates with relevant sectors, including Foreign Affairs, Education, and Agriculture and Forestry, for planning and implementation.
Lao PDR has supported the Convention on Cluster Munitions, hosting its first Meeting of States Parties in 2010, and addressed UXO as a development priority through SDG18: ' Lives Safe From UXO '