(VOVWORLD) - Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam's permanent delegation to the UN, the WTO, and other international organisations, says Vietnam is one of the countries that has suffered most from bombs and mines left over from a war.
 (Photo: ANTD) |
At a seminar in Geneva on Tuesday on managing the risk of bombs, mines, and unexploded ordnance, Ambassador Dung said Vietnam has made a great effort to cope with unexploded ordnance using national resources.
Each year the Vietnamese government invests millions of USD in demining activities, clearing contaminated areas, providing medical treatment, helping survivors of bombs and mines return to normal life, and raising public awareness of bomb and mine risks.
During the 2016 to 2025 period, the Vietnamese government intends to disarm and clear about 800,000 ha of contaminated land, mobilize more domestic and international resources to resettle people living in heavily contaminated regions, and address bomb and mine aftermaths in the socio-economic development programs of each locality.
For years Vietnam has worked closely with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) to minimize the danger of post-war bombs, mines, and unexploded ordnance.
The center has also cooperated with Vietnam’s defense television channel to produce a documentary called “Joining hands to deal with bomb and mine aftermaths” which addresses risk management in handling bomb and mine aftermaths, pollution caused by post-war bombs and mines, and bomb and mine resettlement.
Stefano Toscano, GICHD’s director, says experience drawn from projects in Vietnam are important for handling bombs, mines, and unexploded ordnance left over from the wars in Laos and Cambodia.