During the Second Indochina war (1964-1975), more than 2 million tons of bombs were dropped on Lao PDR, making it one of the most heavily bombed countries in the world. Today cluster sub-munitions and other UXO continue to kill and injure dozens of people a year. Large areas of Laos are contaminated with UXO. The presence of UXO negatively affects the socio-economic development of the country, preventing access to agricultural land and increasing the costs, through land clearance, of all development projects.
Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme, UXO Lao, is working in the nine most impacted provinces nationwide. UXO Lao clears land for agriculture and community purposes, e.g. schools, hospitals, temples and water supply, as well as other development activities.
