ASEAN REGIONAL MINE ACTION CENTER
Today is the last day of ARMAC’s Regional Workshop, funded by the Mission of Canada to ASEAN. Over the last three days the Workshop has covered the full scope and breadth of mine action and brought together ASEAN and international stakeholders to share their insights and knowledge.
The Workshop’s final day’s sessions covered the areas of research and development as well as how international cooperation can be a key factor in ensuring the sustainability of mine action programmes. Also covered was how Cambodia’s support to ARMAC as host country has assisted the Center in operationalizing and continuing its future mission.
The Workshop was closed by H.E Mr. Meas Kim Heng, who noted the importance of an ASEAN focused mine action center in building connections and communications between member states to share knowledge and resources.
For more information on the workshop, including photos and presentation slides visit the 2018 Regional Workshop Website.
Day two of ARMAC’s Regional Workshop was held today in Siem Reap and began with a field trip to the Cambodian Mine Action Center Deming Unit 4. Participants were welcomed by H.E. Mr. Prum Suonpraseth, Senior Director of CMAC, who briefed the attendees on the history and progress of mine action in Cambodia.
Workshop participants also had the opportunity to tour the Peace Museum and see first hand mine detection animals including dogs and APOPO’s HeroRATs. Manual deminers also showcased their skills and helped to illustrate the realities of mine action on the ground.
In addition to the field trip the second day of the Regional Workshop also featured more panel sessions including discussions on land release methodologies as well as a talk highlighting the importance of integrating gender perspectives into all aspects of mine action.
For more information on the workshop, including photos and presentation slides visit the 2018 Regional Workshop Website.
(ARMAC 13 November 2018)
Today is the opening day of ARMAC’s inaugural Regional Workshop, funded by the Mission of Canada to ASEAN. The Workshop’s aim is to “enhance mine action knowledge and promote future platforms of mine action knowledge sharing for ASEAN Member States”.
The workshop was opened by Lt. Col Jean Gosselin, Defence Attaché, Embassy of Canada to the Kingdom of Thailand. Opening remarks were given by H.E Mr. Michael Tan, Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore to the Kingdom of Cambodia and Chair of the ARMAC Steering Committee.
This first day features a number of sessions and discussions including presentations on the linkages between mine action and the UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as panel discussions on enhancing victim assistance and sharing best practices in mine risk education.
For more information on the workshop, including photos and presentation slides visit the 2018 Regional Workshop Website.
The seminar on Enhancing Regional Coordination Efforts in Addressing ERW was organised by the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFAIC) and was held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on 15 December 2017. The seminar was chaired by H.E. Mr. Prum Suphakmonkol.
The seminar was attended by the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center (ARMAC), Cambodian Ministry of Interior, Cambodian Ministry of Economy and Finance, Cambodian Ministry of National Defense – National Centre for Peacekeeping Forces (NPMEC), Cambodian Mine Action Centre and Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), and aimed to enhance coordination between organisations. Strategies to optimise the mobilisation of available resources from other countries in the ASEAN region were also discussed during the seminar.
The seminar resulted in recommendations for ARMAC and the other organisations for potential future collaboration and potential programmes.
The Royal Government of Cambodia has committed to supporting the first 2 (two) years of the operasionalisation of ARMAC, which will be followed by a contribution from The Philippines. ARMAC will continue to encourage other ASEAN Member States to provide contributions towards ARMAC’s operations.
(ARMAC, 15 December 2017)
