Mission to Assess Future Sustainable Options of the Lao UXO Trust Fund and the UXO Lao Mine Action Programme

This mission was intended to focus on ways to allow the mine action program in Lao PDR to be maintained on a sustainable basis. As a result, comment on many of the things that are successful about the program is restricted. It is therefore worth mentioning briefly here that the program has been notably successful in developing the technical capacity to deal with UXO contamination.
The early sections of the report set out the terms of reference for the mission, a summary of the background to the current situation and the major issues now facing the program. The major reported concerns amongst stakeholders are: • A problem in communication and coordination at all levels
• A perceived lack of transparency, exacerbated by the communication
problems
• The lack of a strategic plan, with subsequent difficulties in comparing
inputs with outputs and determining a suitable exit strategy for donor
assistance
• Lack of Government of Lao contribution to the program, both in terms of
cash support and inclusion of the UXO issue in the general development
process and documentation
• Difficulties for donors to support the current vertically and horizontally integrated structure of UXO Lao, especially in terms of paying staff salaries when the staff are, in effect, Lao civil servants
This report sets out some ideas for scoping the contamination problem in Lao PDR and suggests ways by which priority areas could be identified. This leads to means by which long, medium and short-term strategic action plans could be developed and an exit strategy for international assistance established. A 10-year intensive plan with international support is suggested, with the Government of Lao taking on full responsibility for maintaining the UXO response capacity that will be needed to deal with the residual contamination. There are also a number of suggestions for improving cost effectiveness and developing the role of UNDP in supporting the program. The report then identifies two options for restructuring the UXO program that address stakeholder concerns. Both, however, would require the separation of the coordination, planning and regulatory functions from those of implementation, not least to allow higher-level managers to focus on strategic issues rather than being bogged down in the logistic detail for implementation. Finally, the report sets out a number of suggestions for improving resource mobilisation.