In the village of Ban Napia, Laos, it is common to find houses, canoes, and tools built from pieces of bombs that were dropped on the country during the Vietnam War from 1954 to 1975. Ban Napia is one of many villages in Laos where this is the case, as over 270 million bombs were dropped on the country during the war – making it the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world. Approximately 30% of these bombs did not explode, leaving unexploded ordnance (UXO) scattered across the country. The location of UXO is often unknown, and everyday activities such as cooking, farming, and playing can cause these remains to explode: since 1964, over 50,000 people have been injured or killed by UXO in Laos.

One danger of using bomb remains in building or as tools is that people become familiar with the objects and are at increased risk of trusting an unexploded bomb that might still be explosive. This risk is especially strong for children. The Laotian government, along with many external governments and organizations, make strong efforts to find and detonate UXOs in the country. Despite ongoing efforts, the Director General of the National Regulatory Authority for UXO and Mine Action in Laos, Mr. Chomyaeng Phengthongsavath, stated in September 2022 that approximately one percent of UXOs in the country are believed to have been cleared since 1996. At the current rate, it would take 1,860 years to remove the remaining 99%. Due to the dangerous aspect of this work and the combination of mountains and forest in Laos, the removal of UXOs is a very costly task.

In 2003, the CCW Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War was adopted by 28 countries at the United Nations. This protocol included commitments to: remove explosive remnants in one’s territory following a war; record information on the use of explosive remnants of war; take all feasible precautions to protect civilian populations from the risks and effects of explosive remnants of war, and; for Parties to cooperate among themselves and with other States and organization to assist in clearance, removal or destruction of explosive remnants of war. Laos is a signatory to this agreement, and has committed significant resources to clearing explosive remnants in the country. Support from other parties to this protocol, as well as other non-signatory countries, is needed to speed up the process of removal in Laos.

Laos is classified by the World Bank as a lower-middle income country. One of the major barriers to increased development of many industries in Laos is the presence of these UXOs. By removing UXOs from Laos, there would be increased safety, as well as the ability to expand farming activities and increase the scope of the tourism industry in Laos. As we near 30 years since the end of the War, it is time for increased support to the Laotian government to remove these explosive remnants and improve the safety and quality of life of Laotian citizens.