PHILIPPINE MINE ACTION STAKEHOLDERS WORKSHOP IN CAMBODIA

Phnom Penh, 7 April 2022 –  Delegates from the Philippines attended the  Philippine Mine Action Stakeholders Workshop held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 5-7 April 2022.  The Workshop reviewed the explosive ordinance and mine action status in the Philippines, specifically in MIndanao and the Bangsamoro and looked into the experience and best practices of mine action coordination in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Lao PDR.

The Workshop was organized by the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center (ARMAC) in collaboration with the Swiss Foundation  for MIne Action-France (FSD-France), the Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines (PCBL)  and the European Union.

In her remarks during the opening,  Philippine Ambassador to Cambodia Maria Amelita C. Aquino reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to achieving the vision of a mine-free world by 2025 and cited the workshop as contributing towards the Philippine government’s efforts to neutralize existing Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), particularly in Mindanao and in enhancing the mine action capabilities of the country.

Cambodian Senior Minister and First Vice President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), H.E. Mr. Ly Thuch, in his keynote remarks during the opening said that Cambodia and the CMAA are ready to support the demining efforts in the region not only in 2022 during Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship but at all times.  He cited Cambodia’s long history and experience in the mine action sector and the valuable insights that it can share during the workshop.

Philippine government participants included representatives from the AFP Logistics Support Command, Philippine National Police, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), BARMM officials led by BARMM Minister of Public Order and Safety Mr. Hussein Munoz,  and officials of the Philippine Mission to Geneva’s and the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia’s Office of the  Defense and Armed Forces Attaché.

After the workshop, Ambassador Aquino and some of the Philippine participants to the workshop visited CMAA upon the invitation of H.E. Mr. Ly Thuch where CMAA and its officials  provided a briefing on the history, mandate, composition, activities and programs of CMAA, including the demining progress in Cambodia. END