H.E. Senior Minister Ly Thuch : Inter-ministerial cooperation between mine action and environmental protection will be a model for other conflict-affected countries around the world
Phnom Penh, 20 August 2026 — Speaking at the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding on the Environment between the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, the Ministry of Cults and Religion, and the Cambodia Mine Action Authority, H.E. Dr. Ly Thuch, Senior Minister and First Deputy Director of the Cambodia Mine Action Authority, considered the cooperation as an important step in linking mine and explosive remnants of war clearance to the protection and conservation of natural resources.
H.E. Dr. Ly Thuch highlighted that Cambodia has both rich natural resources and a large explosive remnants of war burden, some of which are located in protected areas. This situation not only poses a risk to the safety of conservation groups and communities, but also hinders biodiversity research, natural resource conservation, and ecotourism development.
Through this memorandum, the Cambodia Mine Action Authority and the Ministry of Environment will work together to identify areas at risk from mines and explosive remnants of war, prioritize clearance based on conservation needs, community safety, and development potential, and ensure that clearance operations are carried out in a manner that respects the principles of environmental protection.
Dr. Ly Thuch said that this cooperation is an extension of the principle of “Working Together, Achieving Together” of Samdech Maha Vajiralongkorn, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, into practical implementation, with each institution bringing its own expertise and role to create protected areas that are safe for people, communities, and nature. Cambodia is also expanding such cooperation to other sectors, linking mine clearance to agricultural development and environmental conservation.
Dr. Ly Thuch emphasized that if this cooperation is successful, “inter-ministerial cooperation between mine action and environmental protection will become a model for other conflict-affected countries around the world.”
His Excellency Dr. stated that when Cambodia achieves the goal of being landmine-free by 2030, Cambodia's protected areas will not only be free from encroachment, but also from the threats left by war. The Mine Action Authority and the Ministry of Environment will work together to make protected areas safe, livable, and revitalizing.
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