ASEAN REGIONAL MINE ACTION CENTER
29 May – 9 June 2021 – ARMAC Programs staff attended an online training course on Integrative Management and Coordination of National Mine Action Actors in the Mekong Region organized by Seoul Cyber University, Gyeonggi (Korea) Province in partnership with MAG International.
The course brings together representatives from mine action authorities in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam to develop a national action plan that is relevant in their respective country context.
As a regional entity focused on the humanitarian mine action, ARMAC brought a regional perspective during the discussions.
01 June 2021 – ARMAC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Federation Handicap International (Humanity & Inclusion). Mekong Regional Program Director Ms. Pilar Duat Llorens, signed on behalf of HI, while Mr. Prum Suonpraseth represented ARMAC.
The online signing ceremony was attended by HI Country Manager for Cambodia Ms. Edith van Wijngaarden, HI Mine Action Coordinator in Lao Mr. Julien Kempeneers and Ms. Araceli Knaik, ARMAC Senior Technical Officer.
The MOU aims to strengthen the existing cooperation between HI and ARMAC in order to facilitate Mine Action-related joint programming and resource mobilization. The partnership will support of Mine Action-related capacity development of relevant national institutions through technical cooperation.
19 May 2021 – ARMAC Executive Director and Senior Technical Officer met with Mr. Hayashi Akihita, JICA Technical advisor to CMAC to discuss possible collaboration between ARMAC, CMAC and JICA. The proposed partnership aims to facilitate the sharing of Cambodia’s experience with other countries through international cooperation.
ED welcomed the opportunity to partner with the Governments of Japan and Cambodia as both countries have been actively supporting ARMAC since its inception. ED conveyed that ARMAC as a regional institution can facilitate knowledge sharing on areas that will be identified by the partnership.
06 May 2021 – ARMAC Executive Director participated in a virtual meeting of the 13th Coordinating Conference for the ASEAN Political-Security Community (ASCCO). ED delivered a presentation entitled “Addressing the Challenges of Mine Action through Regional Cooperation among interested ASEAN Member States”.
ED ARMAC underscored the challenges facing effective mine action in the region, discussed about ARMAC’s achievements in addressing these challenges, and rallied the ASEAN Political-Security Community to actively support regional cooperation programs like ARMAC’s. ED thanked the ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat for their continued support to ARMAC. ED likewise expressed his confidence of cooperation programs with the APS community in the future.
08 April 2021 – ARMAC Executive Director and the Permanent Secretariat staff paid a courtesy call to H.E. Ms. Amelita Aquino, the Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the Kingdom of Cambodia where they discussed ARMAC’s role as a center of excellence in the region, under the ASEAN Security Cooperation, in addressing landmines and explosive remnants of war for interested ASEAN Member States (AMS); and the Philippine’s ongoing engagement with ARMAC.
ARMAC ED in their discussion underscored how the Philippines contribution and support during ARMAC’s formative years was instrumental in forging interests among other AMS. The Philippine ambassador on her part recognized ARMAC’s efforts in bringing about lasting peace, security and development in the region, and agreed to help mobilize support among AMS and the international community at large.
10 March 2021 – the Chair of the Steering Committee of ARMAC, H.E. Mr. Pengiran Kasmirhan Pengiran Tahir, and the Executive Director of ARMAC, Mr. Prum Suonpraseth, paid a courtesy call on the Ambassador of Turkey to the Kingdom of Cambodia, H.E. Ms. Ayda Ünlü.
The aim of the call was to introduce the new Chair and Executive Director of ARMAC to the Ambassador and to discuss future collaboration on the Humanitarian Mine Action between Turkey- and ASEAN. ARMAC would like to thank H.E. Ms. Ayda Ünlü for the warm welcome, her support to ARMAC’s Project under ASEAN-Turkey Fund on Building a Regional Community of Practice in Mine/ERW Action among ASEAN Member States and looks forward to enhance this partnership in years to come.
(ARMAC, 10 March 2021)
On 15 February 2021, the Executive Director of ARMAC, Mr. Prum Suonpraseth paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Anatoly Borovik, the Ambassador of Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Cambodia
ARMAC thanked the Ambassador Anatoly for reaffirming Russia’s continued cooperation with ARMAC, and its strong commitment to help end the threats from landmines and explosive remnants of war in Cambodia and the affected Member States of ASEAN.
On 16 February 2021, it was an honor for ARMAC Permanent Secretariat led by Executive Director Prum Suonpraseth to have the opportunity to pay a courtesy call to the His Excellency Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
During the meeting, ARMAC’s ED provided updates and progress achievements of ARMAC, including the current and future program activities of the Center to His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister.
(ARMAC, 16 February 2021)
On 15 February 2021, the Executive Director of ARMAC, Mr. Prum Suonpraseth paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Anatoly Borovik, the Ambassador of Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Cambodia
ARMAC thanked the Ambassador Anatoly for reaffirming Russia’s continued cooperation with ARMAC, and its strong commitment to help end the threats from landmines and explosive remnants of war in Cambodia and the affected Member States of ASEAN.
On 27 January 2021, ARMAC was delighted to receive H.E. Mr. Patrick Murphy, the United States (US) Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, for a meeting with the Chair of the Steering Committee of ARMAC and Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to the Kingdom of Cambodia, H.E. Mr. Pengiran Kasmirhan Pengiran Tahir, and the Executive Director of ARMAC, Mr. Prum Suonpraseth.
ARMAC thanks Ambassador Murphy for his visit to ARMAC Permanent Secretariat, and welcome the US longstanding commitment to address landmines/explosive remnants of war (ERW) issues in Cambodia and the ASEAN region.
Moving forward, ARMAC looks forward to strengthen the joint efforts with the US Government in this matter.
