ASEAN REGIONAL MINE ACTION CENTER
Following on from the Mine Risk Education Consultative Meeting that occurred earlier this week in Myanmar, ARMAC also had the great pleasure to join a meeting with H.E. Dr. Win Myat Aye, Union Minister of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Myanmar
Through collaborative meetings with key partners such as this ARMAC hopes to deepen ties and strengthen outcomes with all interested ASEAN Member States. Our sincere thanks to Myanmar for a successful visit!
(ARMAC 15 August 2019)
This week ARMAC was pleased to provide support at a workshop for Information Management Stakeholders in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The workshop was co-hosted by the Cambodian Mine Action Authority and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, and provided key inputs which will help to develop Cambodia’s new National Mine Action Database.
All participants were fully engaged during the series of presentations and group discussions, producing valuable information that will shape the development of Cambodia’s new Information Management System for Mine Action.
(ARMAC 09 August 2019)
On 6 August 2019, H.E. Mr. Prum Sophakmonkol, Secretary General of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), 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.”
Supported by the Government of Japan, through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), the meeting in Hanoi is the final national consultative meeting in a one-year project aimed at developing a comprehensive and integrated approach to Mine Risk Education (MRE) that will build on the best practices of ASEAN Member States (AMS) in educating their populations on the dangers of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). As an initiative of the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center (ARMAC), the meetings were aimed at fostering discussion on the AMS’ current approach to MRE, and to bring those affected by mines and ERW together to share their knowledge and experiences in order to build an integrated approach to MRE that can be used throughout the region.
On 13 August 2019, the meeting in Myanmar was opened by Mr. U Win Naing Tun, Director General of the Department of Rehabilitation, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, who remarked at the meeting that “nine out of Myanmar’s 15 States/Regions are contaminated with landmines, Explosive Remnant of War. The Mine Risk Working Group (MRWG) was established over seven years ago as an inter-ministerial and inter-agency coordination platform under the co-leadership of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement and UNICEF to ensure mine action interventions are aligned with international standards and lessons learned in Myanmar. The MRWG is now working closely with international forums like ARMAC to better respond to the needs of the affected population. We are glad that experiences from Myanmar will contribute to the integrated approach to Mine Risk Education in ASEAN.”
Following the meeting in Myanmar on 16 August 2019, a National Consultative Meeting was also organised in Bangkok, Thailand with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand. During the opening remarks, Dr. Suriya Chindawongse, Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand, mentioned that the project’s implementation is an important step for ASEAN to raise awareness towards the dangers of mines/ERW and the efforts to address them.
H.E. Mr. Thongphane Savanphet, Deputy-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lao PDR, opened the National Consultative Meeting on 22 August 2019, in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Lao has made progress with regards to MRE, for example Lao has integrated unexploded ordinance awareness activities into the primary schools’ curriculum in contaminated provinces to reduce the risk of further casualties.
On 16 September 2019, Ms. Le Thi Thu, Deputy Director General, Department of ASEAN Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, gave opening remarks, and underlined Viet Nam’s commitment to working with AMS in various issues including mine action.
In regard to the importance of the meetings, Mr Ly Panharith, Executive Director of ARMAC, mentioned “ARMAC appreciated the input from the mine risk education stakeholders in all mine/ERW affected ASEAN Member States (i.e. Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam) who have been handling mine risk education with various innovative approaches. Their experience and knowledge are of critical importance to develop the integrated approach to mine risk education.”
Looking towards the future, the next steps for the MRE project will be to hold a side event during the Fourth Review Conference on a Mine-Free World on 25-29 November 2019 in Oslo, Norway, so as to establish a platform for ASEAN countries to form a collaborative community of MRE experts and stakeholders. Ultimately, it is hoped that through these consultative meetings, research and other activities undertaken through the project, that the number of victims of mines/ERW can be minimised and in so doing the socio-economic impact of mines is reduced and sustainable development outcomes are improved.
This week ARMAC was pleased to provide support at a workshop for Information Management Stakeholders in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The workshop was co-hosted by the Cambodian Mine Action Authority and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, and provided key inputs which will help to develop Cambodia’s new National Mine Action Database.
All participants were fully engaged during the series of presentations and group discussions, producing valuable information that will shape the development of Cambodia’s new Information Management System for Mine Action.
Recently, ARMAC had the great privilege to host a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea and the Mission of the Republic of Korea to ASEAN at our headquarters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The meeting provided the opportunity to discuss ARMAC’s upcoming project which is pending approval, titled “Enhance Victim Assistance Programme in the ASEAN Member States”.
Also discussed was ARMAC’s current and previous contributions to the region and how we are working with ASEAN Member States to strengthen the mine action sector.
Today, ARMAC had the great pleasure to welcome thirty three cadets from the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (CRMA) based in the Kingdom of Thailand to our headquarters in Phnom Penh. The visit gave the cadets an opportunity to learn about the role of ARMAC and how we assist ASEAN Member States in mine action.
(ARMAC 04 June 2019)
In April ARMAC attended the 3rd Forum of Entities Associated with ASEAN in Jakarta, Indonesia, where we shared our positive experiences of working in the ASEAN family.
Beyond the Forum we also took the opportunity to meet with the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund Team, and the Finance and PCPMD Teams of the ASEAN Secretariat to further build our knowledge on financial and project reporting mechanisms.
In addition, ARMAC also paid a visit to the Mission of Canada to ASEAN to extend our thanks and appreciation for their financial support of the Inaugural Mine Action Regional Workshop held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in late 2018.
ARMAC had an opportunity to attend and assisted the National Victim Assistance Workshop: “Strengthening a strategic approach to address the rights and needs of mine/ERW survivors, affected families and persons with disabilities in Cambodia,” held on 25-26 April 2019 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The event comprised of presentations from victim assistance stakeholders and group discussion particularly on the victim assistance situation in Cambodia.
Photos provided by អាជ្ញាធរមីន – Cambodian Mine Action Authority.
ARMAC recently had the opportunity to attend the Peer Workshop on Frontline Humanitarian Negotiation organised by the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Workshop provided participants with key knowledge on the process of negotiation and how to best build strong relationships with counterparts, as well as providing a platform for attendees to share their own experiences.
We would also like to extend our thanks to the International Committee of the Red Cross Cambodia for supporting ARMAC in attending the event.
ARMAC had the honour of being a part of the Regional Seminar on the Full and Effective Operationalisation of ARMAC on 22-23 April 2019 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – MFA.IC . This two-day seminar covered the discussion on experiences and best practices in addressing mines/ERW in the ASEAN region, the progress and development of ARMAC, the roles of ARMAC in enhancing regional efforts through integrated approach as well as ARMAC’s financial sustainability in the recent and upcoming years.
The seminar also included a field visit to the Cambodian Mine Action Center’s – CMAC’s training facility and Peace Museum. The demonstration of Mine Detection Rats by APOPO’s HeroRATs and Mine Detection Dogs by CMAC were also made during the visit.
This seminar had active participation from delegates from the ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Secretariat, Mine Action Centre/Authority, Mine Action related organisations in the ASEAN region, Research Institutions and other Development Partners. Much appreciation was extended to all delegates for their continued support of ARMAC.
