The Philippines successfully chaired the Third Meeting of the Steering Committee (SC) of the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center (ARMAC) attended by representatives of the ten (10) ASEAN Member States (AMS) and the ASEAN Secretariat on 03 July 2017 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Philippine Ambassador to Cambodia, Christopher B. Montero, steered the discussions of the Steering Committee, the main oversight and policy-setting body of the ARMAC, particularly in the full operationalization of its Permanent Secretariat in Phnom Penh. The Committee likewise agreed on a set of guidelines for development and institutional partners who have expressed interest in assisting ARMAC fulfill its mandate to serve as a center for excellence in comprehensively addressing the humanitarian aspects of explosive remnants of war (ERW) among affected ASEAN communities.
The establishment of ARMAC was initiated by Cambodia during its ASEAN chairmanship in 2012. Its headquarters in Phnom Penh was formally established in May 2016.
The ARMAC Steering Committee held its first meeting in September 2016 under the chairmanship of Laos. The Philippines, as current ASEAN Chair, serves as chair of the ARMAC Steering Committee for 2017.
