MAG has been awarded €550,360 from the Federal Government of Belgium for ongoing clearance operations in Cambodia – a country that still suffers high levels of landmine casualties every year.
MAG has been operating in Cambodia since 1992, mainly in the northwest, which is heavily contaminated with landmines after the huge K5 minefield was laid along 700 km of the country’s border during the 1980s.
|
Battambang and Krong Pailin provinces, where this grant will fund MAG's work. |
This crucial grant will be used to fund landmine clearance in two of the worst affected provinces, Battambang and Krong Pailin, for the next two years.
The money will help MAG pay for one manual landmine clearance team, one team using specially trained dogs to detect mines, and a machine vital to cutting down vegetation to make way for clearance.
The lifesaving work of these teams will return land to local communities, securing their future safety and helping the long road to escaping poverty.
Rob White, MAG’s Director of Operations, said: “It is great to have support from a new donor for our lifesaving work in Cambodia. This funding is essential for MAG to continue work in one of our most established programmes and we’re looking forward to putting it to very good use.”
 |
|
A MAG deminer in Cambodia. [Photos: Nick Axelrod] |
Belgium was the first country to agree to ban anti-personnel landmines (in 1995) and also the first country to ban cluster munitions (in 2006).
Yves Leterme, Belgium's Minister of Foreign Affairs, is fully committed to the international campaign to ban landmines and cluster munitions and has earmarked substantial government funding for these priority projects in the overall Belgian disarmament investment plan.
By funding landmine and UXO clearance activities in Cambodia, Belgium wishes to re-affirm that it is committed to promoting and achieving a world free of landmines and cluster munitions. Belgium played a pioneering role in the campaign for international conventions banning landmines and cluster ammunition. It started supporting landmine clearance in the 1990s and is also funding physical rehabilitation centres and prevention activities in Cambodia.
This financial support and previous development activities supported by Belgium in the sectors of health and education show the commitment of the Belgian Government towards development in Cambodia.
Back to top
