United States Launches $1 Million UXO Project in Solomon Islands

The United States’ work over the past decade to remediate explosive hazards is foundational for a prosperous Solomon Islands and continues to advance humanitarian and development priorities on land free of UXO.

HALO will advance shared United States-Solomon Islands priorities.  With funding from the United States, HALO will locate and mark World War II legacy UXO while providing essential training and capacity building to the RSIPF EOD unit.  This includes using existing data and historical records as well as conducting search activities to update the national UXO database, which will inform future explosive ordnance risk education and explosive hazard responses to UXO contamination by the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force EOD unit.  U.S. funding will also provide technical advice while assisting the Ministry of National Police to establish a UXO coordination office.

The United States, through its Conventional Weapons Destruction program, has funded work in the Pacific since 2009.  

Since 1993, the United States has invested more than $4.7 billion for the safe clearance of landmines and explosive weapons of war as well as the securing and safe disposal of excess small arms and light weapons and munitions in more than 100 countries and territories.  The United States is the world’s single largest financial supporter of conventional weapons destruction.

ENDS///

From the US Embassy, Port Moresby