Representative Ami Bera (D-CA-6) and Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Peter Welch (D-VT) led bipartisan resolutions in their respective chambers designating April 4 as International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. The resolutions acknowledge the global impact of landmines and reaffirm the United States' role in eliminating landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) to keep civilians safe.
Rep. Bera, a member of the UXO/Demining Caucus, credited his visit to Laos in 2023 as a key driver for the resolution, saying that the U.S. has a “moral responsibility to aid victims injured by landmines and to work towards a future free from the threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance.”
While introducing companion legislation in the Senate, Sen. Baldwin added that the U.S. must take responsibility for legacy ordnance in Southeast Asia by clearing UXO and keeping local communities safe, and both Senators Welch and Moran reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to clearing the world of these deadly explosives.
HALO USA’s Executive Director, Chris Whatley, emphasized the importance of the resolutions: “Landmines and other unexploded ordnance continue to harm and kill civilians in over 60 countries - and children make up nearly half of all landmine casualties,” he said. “As innocent people in Ukraine, Angola, the Solomon Islands and beyond continue to live near explosive threats, it's critical that the United States continue lead the global effort to eliminate these deadly devices once and for all. This International Mine Awareness Day, we are proud to endorse Senator Baldwin, Senator Welch, and Senator Moran's resolution recognizing the ongoing threat of landmines and reaffirming the United States' leadership in keeping civilians safe around the world.”
Find the text of the Senate resolution here and the House resolution here. For more, see Rep. Bera’s press release here and Sen. Baldwin’s here.
