At a side event to the ASEAN Summits, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday inaugurated Laos’s own national Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on unexploded ordnance (UXO).

“Lives safe from UXO; Remove the UXO obstacles to national development” is the title of SDG 18. The logo shows, on red background, a disabled person walking away from cluster munitions on a crutch, towards an empowered, self-reliant future.

SDG 18 is the newest addition to a set of 17 globally agreed goals which form the core of a new sustainable development agenda that came into effect at the beginning of the year.

The Lao PDR, together with all other 192 UN member states, endorsed the SDGs at the General Assembly in 2015, with the aims to end poverty, fight injustice and inequality, and tackle climate change by 2030, thus advancing the globe onto a path of sustainable development.

Laos’ decision on creating its own SDG on UXO aims to reduce casualties, address the needs of victims, and clear the country in a way that most benefits the poorest parts of the population.

“More than half of the casualties caused by UXO in the Lao PDR in recent years have been children, most often young boys”, said Ban Ki-moon. “With SDG 18, we aim to put an end to this horrible trend once and for all. The socio-economic impact of UXO contamination means that people lack confidence in the safety of their land, which in turn has negative impacts on the income of rural farmers and their families and inhibits the development of the country as a whole. I welcome the Government’s commitment to free its people from UXO with a powerful tool like a national SDG which will make sure efforts are coordinated for full impact.”

Ban Ki-moon added that with the implementation of the SDGs, the United Nations is delivering on its promise to leave no one behind. He acknowledged the support of national institutions, development partners and civil society organisations, which are all crucial for the implementation of the SDGs in the Lao PDR.

“Our government, through SDG 18, will make sure that UXO are cleared to the extent possible by 2030, in high-risk areas, which are often the poorest areas of our country. We will also focus on ensuring that all survivors receive the support they need to lead dignified lives. For us to be successful we rely on a joint effort,” Mr Thongloun stressed.

As a first step of implementing SDG 18, the government is planning to carry out a comprehensive national survey of UXO contamination, which will help to target clearance work in high-risk areas and reduce the number of casualties.