In honor of International Mine Awareness Day, the Congressional Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)/Demining Caucus hosted an event to raise awareness of the U.S. government’s contributions to humanitarian demining projects around the world. The reception featured exhibits from demining partners such as the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Humanity & Inclusion, Legacies of War, the Marshall Legacy Institute, TetraTech, JMU’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), the Golden West Humanitarian Foundation, DOD’s Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program, and the HALO Trust.
Opening remarks were given by Caucus Co-Chairs David Valadao and Chrissy Houlahan, as well as Rep. Jim McGovern, each of whom spoke about the importance of U.S. commitment to demining. Representatives from the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs and the Defense Department’s Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy also spoke about the demining programs hosted within their departments, including the Conventional Weapons Destruction (CWD), Humanitarian Demining Research and Development (HD R&D), and Humanitarian Demining Training Center programs.
The Caucus was privileged to host the Ambassadors of Vietnam and Laos, who shared with attendees the impact of landmines and unexploded ordnance in their countries. Their testimony provided unique insight into the effect of U.S. legacy ordnance in the region and the value of strong bilateral partnerships.
The HALO Trust would like to thank the UXO/Demining Caucus, the State Department, the Department of Defense, and our partners in the demining community for making the event such a success. Thanks also to the incredible speakers:
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, UXO/Demining Caucus Co-Chair
Rep. David Valadao, UXO/Demining Caucus Co-Chair
Rep. Jim McGovern, UXO/Demining Caucus Member
Stan Brown, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Department of State
Dr. Leigh Nolan, Principal Director for Global Partnerships, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense
H.E. Sisavath Inphachanh, Ambassador of Laos to the United States
H.E. Nguyen Quoc Dzung, Ambassador of Vietnam to the United States
Watch a video of the speaking program, and see highlights from the event, below:
