Australia Pledges AUD1.5 Million to Bolster Demining and Recovery Along Cambodian Borders

• Proeksa Meas
• 19 June 2026
• Local News
• 563 Views

The new funding under the Clearing for Results initiative targets landmine clearance and socio-economic restoration across four highly affected provinces

The Government of Australia has committed AUD1.5 million to support landmine clearance and recovery operations in war-affected communities along Cambodia’s borders. The formal grant agreement was finalized on June 8, 2026, during a signing ceremony attended by Senior Minister Dr. Ly Thuch, who serves as the First Vice-President of the Cambodian Mine Authority, alongside Australian Ambassador to Cambodia Derek Yip, and Enrico Gaveglia, the United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative in Cambodia. This funding will act as a critical resource to help eliminate explosive remnants of war that continue to threaten rural livelihoods and community development.

This latest financial contribution is channeled directly through the fifth phase of the Clearing for Results initiative, known as CfR-V. The initiative represents a robust multi-donor partnership that pools resources from the governments of Cambodia, Italy, Luxembourg, and New Zealand, and is co-implemented by the Cambodian Mine Authority and the United Nations Development Programme. By unifying international backing, the program ensures a synchronized and highly efficient approach to addressing the complex legacy of land contamination.

The newly allocated resources are earmarked for comprehensive mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance risk education, and direct livelihood support for displaced populations. These efforts are designed to catalyze long-term socio-economic recovery in four key provinces: Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Oddar Meanchey, and Preah Vihear. Each of these regions remains heavily impacted by historical conflicts along the Cambodian-Thai border, making land reclamation essential for safe farming, infrastructure building, and community expansion.

Senior Minister Ly Thuch emphasized that Australia has remained a deeply reliable and steadfast partner in Cambodia’s humanitarian mine action sector since the early 1990s. He noted that Australia has consistently backed the Clearing for Results project since its very first phase launched in 2006, contributing an aggregate total of forty-five point three one million Australian dollars across its various development phases. This sustained support underscores a shared vision of transforming hazardous battlefields into safe, productive lands for the next generation. (read more)

• Mine clearance
• UXO
• Aus-aid