ON Friday, 15th of May, Governor Michael Marum of East New Britain Province and William Hunter of The HALO Trust, acting on a U.S. government grant, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the mitigation of unexploded ordinance in East New Britain. The agreement outlines how The HALO Trust will implement the $11.5 million (K47.2 million) from the U.S. government to address unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from WWII and enhancing reporting and tracking of UXO.
The MOA signed on Friday addresses the scope of activities in East New Britain, while the funding also covers existing UXO mitigation work in Oro Province and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
The MOA addresses three areas:
· To locate and remove unexploded ordnance, The HALO Trust will survey and map UXO-contaminated areas in the
East New Britain Province, and excavate hazardous areas identified during the survey to remove the buried UXO. The survey and disposal of UXO will protect lives and livelihoods in East New Britain and prevent UXO from being misused.
· To ensure the safety of the community, The HALO Trust will teach risk education in schools and community facilities to increase understanding of the UXO threat and to reduce risk-taking behavior.
· To invest in the future of the community, The HALO Trust will employ and train people from East New Britain, including delivering explosive ordnance (bomb) disposal (EOD) training to the PNG Defence Force EOD and the Royal PNG Constabulary. Additionally, The Halo Trust will contribute to the review and improvement of national tracking for UXO.
“The United States has been present in East New Britian for decades, especially through their Defense Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Accounting Agency’s efforts to bring American WWII soldiers home,” said East New Britain Governor Marum. “It’s great to see how Americans are expanding their work as we honor our shared history, while making our communities safer through these UXO projects.”
“This is a reminder of the United States’ support of The HALO Trust’s operations and their commitment to UXO remediation efforts here in PNG.” said William Hunter, Program Manager for The HALO Trust PNG. “East New Britain was severely affected during World War II. The efforts we are undertaking will save lives and make
communities safer.”
“This is a priority for the United States in Papua New Guina, as evidenced by the $11.5 million dollars to support unexploded ordnance removal,” said Alex Berenberg, Chargé d’Affaires. “We are committed to working together to make PNG safer, to provide opportunities for affected communities, and to increase the capacity of PNG to strengthen their UXO remediation capabilities. We are proud to support these projects.”
The HALO Trust is a U.S. and British charity. Its mission is to protect the lives and livelihoods of those affected by conflict.