10 November 2010
Promoting assistance for UXO victims
Delegates at the Cluster Munitions meeting in Vientiane will see first-hand tonight how UXO victims and other people with disability are being assisted in Laos.
They will attend a reception at the National Rehabilitation Centre where they will view the permanent exhibition on cluster munitions and disability in the COPE Visitor Centre, watch a demonstration wheelchair basketball match and visit the prosthetic and orthotics workshop.
Jointly supported by the Government of Laos, the Government of Australia, the Cluster Munition Coalition and COPE, the reception is an official side event to the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions..
His Excellency Dr Ponmek Dalaloy, Minister of Health, will officially open the event which is expected to attract several hundred guests active in the unexploded ordnance (UXO) sector, including cluster munition survivors.
“Assistance to UXO victims, especially access to the services they require to help them rebuild their lives, is vital in countries affected by land mines and cluster munitions,” said Dr Ponmek.
The reception will demonstrate the positive results of supportive governments and civil society working together to address the cluster munitions issue. It will highlight the need for comprehensive victim assistance which is central to the Convention, and encourage continued collaboration to achieve the objectives of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Since 1998, Australian-funded victim assistance projects have helped 12,000 vulnerable people living in poverty in remote communities in Laos. This funding has increased access to rehabilitation services and helped people with disabilities participate in community activities. Australia has contributed almost $20 million to the UXO sector in Laos since 1996.
Media contacts: Ms Raine Dixon
Head of Development Cooperation
Australian Embassy, Vientiane
Tel: 353800
Mr Conor Fortune
Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC)
Mobile: +856 (0) 20 5457 9109