PHNOM PENH: The United Kingdom has committed US$4.3 million to aid demining activities in Cambodia as part of the Second Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP2).
The amount is the second instalment to fund the GMAP2 initiative from next month to March next year. GMAP2 was initially launched in July 2018 after the first initiative ended in 2016.
The announcement was made by the United Kingdom’s ambassador to Cambodia Tina Redshaw at the official residence recently.
According to the Phnom Penh Post, Redshaw said Cambodia and the UK had a joint mission to help save lives from landmine casualties in Cambodia.
Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) first vice-president Ly Thuch said the UK has been involved in mine clearance since 1992, covering more than 122sq km, and discovering nearly 70,000 landmines and unexploded ordnances.
Thuch requested that the UK continue to assist the government in the implementation of the national mine action strategy 2018-2025 to make Cambodia landmine-free by 2025.
“Mine clearance is a mission that benefits us all.
“The collaboration between development partners, the CMAA and the people means that when we reach our goal, we can all celebrate together. When we work together, a new day will come.”