The central province of Quang Tri’s authorities are working on an appeal to the US Embassy in Việt Nam asking the US Government to resume financial support for UXO and Agent Orange projects in the province.
Heavily contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the resistance war against America, Quang Tri relies on funding from the US State Department for de-mining projects carried out by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and Peace Trees Vietnam (PTVN), as well as non-refundable official development assistance (ODA) from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for projects assisting people with disabilities and victims of Agent Orange/dioxin.
Nearly 1,000 employees in these NGOs have been temporarily suspended from their duties since the US Government ordered a global 90-day pause starting January 25 for all US-funded NGOs.
The freeze, which affects projects globally, directly impacts the province’s progress for UXO remediation, hampering the 2016-2025 Post-War Mine Action Program and a pilot program for ‘Safe Province’ criteria. (VietnamNews)