Press Release

Today, ahead of International Day for Mine Awareness on April 4, U.S. Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA) introduced a congressional resolution reaffirming the United States’ leadership in international landmine clearance efforts.

Despite significant progress in the reduction of landmines, an estimated 60 million individuals in nearly 70 countries worldwide still live with the threat of landmines every day. 

“Communities across the globe continue to endure the devastating consequences of war, long after conflict has ended,” said Representative Ami Bera, who serves as Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific. "Having personally heard the harrowing accounts of landmine survivors in Laos, it is clear that the United States must continue its leadership role in advancing lifesaving demining efforts. We have a moral responsibility to aid victims injured by landmines, and to work towards a future free from the threat of landmines and unexploded ordinances.”

Congressman Bera has been at the forefront of advocating for increased support for international demining efforts. Notably, Bera introduced the Legacies of War Recognition and Unexploded Ordinance Removal Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at providing critical support for the clearance of landmines and other explosive remnants of war in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. In 2023, Congressman Bera led a Congressional delegation to Laos, where Members met with individuals actively engaged in the removal of unexploded ordinances. Bera is also a proud member of the Congressional UXO/Demining Caucus. 

To read the full resolution, click here. 

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.