The United States has contributed more than USD 2.5 million to strengthen UXO Lao operations, supporting office upgrades, staff facilities, and field activities across five provinces, including Luang Prabang.
The funding, provided between 2024 and 2025, aims to improve working and living conditions for clearance teams while increasing operational efficiency in unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance efforts nationwide.
On 30 January, officials marked the handover of a new provincial office and staff accommodation for UXO Lao in Luang Prabang. US representative Michelle Outlaw said the support will benefit UXO Lao offices and housing facilities in Luang Prabang, Khammouane, Savannakhet, Salavan, and Houaphanh provinces.
Deputy Director Keo Chanthavixay said the assistance reflects strong diplomatic relations and broad cooperation between Laos and the United States, particularly in addressing the long-term impacts of UXO contamination.
UXO Risks Remain Widespread
Despite progress, UXO continues to pose serious risks across Laos. In May 2025, authorities safely detonated a 500-pound MK82 bomb in Soplao village, Houaphanh Province, after relocating it from a residential area, underscoring the ongoing danger to rural communities.
Between January and June 2025, clearance teams destroyed more than 35,000 UXO items across 14 provinces, making 2,717 hectares safe for agriculture and infrastructure development. During the same period, risk-education activities reached more than 181,000 people, while over 172,000 UXO survivors received assistance.
Clearance work continued into early 2026, with more than 1,000 UXO items destroyed in Champasak Province alone and a total of 5,268 hectares cleared nationwide. However, officials noted that funding constraints, environmental conditions, and coordination challenges continue to slow progress in some areas.
UXO Lao said it remains committed to reducing the impact of unexploded ordnance, improving land safety for development and farming, and sustaining long-term clearance efforts with continued support from international partners, particularly the United States.


