The United Kingdom has renewed £1.6 million (USD 2.1 million) in funding for mine clearance and explosive ordnance risk education in Cambodia, extending a partnership that has now
spanned more than three decades.
The renewed support, announced as part of the UK’s long-running commitment to humanitarian mine action, is expected to help clear nearly 1.94 million square metres of land contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance between 2026 and 2027.
The programme will be implemented through international demining organisations HALO Trust, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and APOPO, in cooperation with Cambodian authorities and local development partners.
According to the UK government, the funding will improve community safety, support agricultural livelihoods and contribute to Cambodia’s target of meeting its mine-clearance obligations under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention by December 2030.
Under the programme, HALO Trust and MAG aim to clear or release more than 890,000 square metres of land across Battambang, Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Pailin, Pursat and Koh Kong provinces. The operations are expected to directly benefit more than 5,400 people.
The two organisations will also conduct more than 4,000 explosive ordnance risk education sessions, reaching an estimated 44,280 people, including women and children in high-risk communities.
A separate initiative led by APOPO and the Cambodian Institute for Research and Rural Development (CIRD), known as the “Minefields to Rice Fields” project, will combine mine clearance with regenerative agriculture. The project is expected to release an additional 1.05 million square metres of land and directly support at least 500 farming households.
British Ambassador to Cambodia Dominic Williams said the UK remained committed to supporting communities affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war.
“The scale of the challenge in Cambodia is significant, and continued investment in mine action remains essential to secure safe land, economic recovery and lasting confidence,” he said.
Williams also praised the work of Cambodian deminers and said the renewed funding would help displaced communities return safely to cleared land while strengthening protection in border areas facing heightened tensions.
Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA) Senior Minister Dr. Ly Thuch described the UK as a longstanding partner in Cambodia’s mine action efforts.
“Behind every contribution are lives transformed — a child walking safely to school, a family returning home, a community restored,” he said.
Cambodia remains one of the countries most heavily affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance following decades of conflict. Since the early 1990s, international support has played a central role in reducing casualties and returning contaminated land to productive use.
The UK said its total contribution to mine action in Cambodia has now reached an estimated £65 million (more than USD 85 million). Photo by Mao Piseth, Wikimedia commons.
