ARMAC Held a Consultative Meeting in Phnom Penh on Mine Risk Education (MRE)

06 August 2019 -

Close to 30 senior officials from across Cambodia’s mine action sector gathered today for a consultative meeting in Phnom Penh to discuss the country’s current approach to mine risk education (MRE).

Organised by ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center (ARMAC) and supported by the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), the meeting in Cambodia is the first in a one-year project aimed at developing a comprehensive and integrated approach to MRE that will build on the best practices in educating their populations on the dangers of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) in ASEAN.

The meeting in Cambodia was opened by H.E. Mr. Prum Sophakmonkol, Secretary General of the Cambodian Mine Action Authority, who remarked that the meeting “presents a good opportunity for Cambodia to further strengthen its national Mine Risk Education programme and to document its best practices so that other ASEAN Member States can learn from Cambodia’s experience.”

Mr. Ly Panharith, Executive Director of ARMAC, concluded, “ARMAC appreciated the input from the mine risk education stakeholders in Cambodia who have been handling mine risk education with various approaches under many phases of mine action cycle. Their vast experience and knowledge are of critical importance to develop the integrated approach to mine risk education.”

Looking to the future, the next steps for the MRE project will be to hold subsequent consultative meetings in Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam so as to establish a platform for ASEAN countries to form a collaborative community of MRE experts and stakeholders.