EU Approves $1.8 Million Grant to Support Mine Clearance in Northern Cambodia
EU Approves $1.8 Million Grant to Support Mine Clearance in Northern Cambodia
SIEM REAP, Sept. 24, 2026 — The European Union has approved a €1.599 million (about US$1.8 million) grant to support mine-clearance operations by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) in partnership with APOPO, with more than 6,000 hectares of contaminated land targeted for clearance in northern Cambodia.
The 18-month project will begin in October 2026 and operate in Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey provinces, according to CMAC. The programme will also include mine-risk education and technical surveys to identify and release land affected by explosive remnants of war (ERW).
The grant was confirmed by Andreas Roettger, head of the European Union’s Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) team, during a meeting with CMAC Director General Heng Ratana at the Techo Peace Museum in Siem Reap on Sept. 22.
During the meeting, Heng Ratana briefed the EU delegation on the continuing impact of landmines and other wartime explosive remnants on public safety, socioeconomic development and Cambodia’s cultural heritage.
Roettger subsequently confirmed the EU’s approval of the €1,598,999 grant for the CMAC-APOPO mine-action partnership.
More than 6,000 hectares targeted
CMAC said the funding will enable clearance of more than 6,000 hectares of affected land, while supporting explosive ordnance risk education and technical information-gathering to help map and reduce contaminated areas.
The project will build on the longstanding cooperation between CMAC and APOPO. The two organisations have worked together in Cambodia since 2014, with APOPO using mine-detection rats, technical survey dogs, manual deminers and other methods to support mine clearance.
APOPO says its Cambodia programme has already contributed to the release of more than 33 million square metres of land and the safe location and destruction of more than 49,000 landmines and other hazardous items.
The organisation has also previously worked in Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey, including areas along the Cambodia-Thailand border.
EU delegation visits Techo Peace Museum
Following the meeting, the EU delegation visited the Techo Peace Museum, which documents Cambodia’s wartime experience through photographs, records and other evidence.
CMAC said the visit highlighted both the human cost of Cambodia’s decades of conflict and the importance of preserving the country’s hard-won peace.
Heng Ratana thanked the EU for its continued support and said CMAC would continue strengthening cooperation with both the EU and APOPO to reduce the threat posed by landmines and explosive remnants of war.
The latest grant adds to international efforts to support Cambodia’s long-running mine-action programme, which combines land clearance with risk education and technical surveys to return contaminated land to safe and productive use.
