The ASEAN leaders yesterday commended the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre and the inaugural launch of Friends of ARMAC in Phnom Penh, according to the Chairman’s Statement of the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits.
“We commended the important role of the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre (ARMAC) to addresses humanitarian aspects of landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) in the region. We welcomed the inaugural launch of Friends of ARMAC (FOA) on 23 September 2021 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to expand ARMAC’s working relationship to deepen regional outreach and enable contributions from relevant stakeholders to humanitarian mine actions,” it underlined.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s leaders gathered for the 38th and 39th virtual ASEAN Summits on Oct. 26, 2021 under the chairmanship of Brunei Darussalam.
The Summits were chaired by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and convened in accordance with the ASEAN Charter.
ARMAC is a centre of excellence under the ASEAN Security Cooperation to encourage the efforts to address landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) for interested ASEAN Member States (AMS). Inaugurated on May 25 2016, the centre aims to collectively tackle the humanitarian aspects of landmines and ERW through an integrated approach of experiences sharing, skills training and other capacity building activities.
In accordance with the ASEAN leaders’ recognition on the presence of landmines and other ERW as a threat to people’s safety, a constraint to socio-economic development, and a humanitarian problem in the ASEAN region, ARMAC was formed to facilitate cooperation within and between AMS and relevant institutions to enhance awareness programmes on the dangers of ERW among affected communities; facilitate appropriate medical and rehabilitation assistance for victims of ERW, upon request from the affected ASEAN Member States; and assist interested ASEAN Member States (AMS) in research and knowledge sharing on the effects of ERW and efforts to address them, including through writing proposals for technical assistance projects and funding, at their specific and individual request.
