Countries that were once recipients of aid grow to become providers of aid themselves, drawing on their own experiences. This “cycle of learning” is one of the forms of sustainable international cooperation that JICA strives to achieve.
In 1998, in Cambodia—which at the time had the highest number of landmine victims in the world—JICA began providing assistance to the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC). Since then, JICA has supported the enhancement of Cambodia’s landmine response capabilities through improvements in landmine detection and clearance technologies—including refinements in survey methods and techniques—as well as through human resource development and the strengthening of organizational management capacity.
As a result of many years of cooperation, CMAC has now grown into an international mine action organization that shares its knowledge and experience with other countries. In recent years, under the framework of triangular cooperation promoted by JICA, it has provided support to countries facing challenges related to landmine and unexploded ordnance contamination—including Ukraine, Colombia, Laos, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan—countries facing challenges related to landmine and unexploded ordnance contamination—regarding the operation and maintenance of mine detection and clearance equipment, the establishment of organizational and institutional frameworks, and human resource development.
In recent years, JICA has been promoting cooperation across regions and national borders to share the expertise of countries and organizations engaged in landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) response efforts. Here are some notable recent initiatives.
Tripartite Workshop Hosted by Colombia, Ukraine, and JICA
In April 2026, a workshop was held in Geneva, Switzerland, during the International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors. The workshop was organized by JICA, its Colombian counterpart—the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace (OCCP) within the Office of the President of Colombia—and the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine. This initiative came about after the Colombian side—with whom JICA has long collaborated—expressed interest in sharing insights with Ukraine through JICA. Following discussions at the “Ukraine Mine Action Conference (UMAC2025)” held in Tokyo in October 2025, the three parties decided to collaborate.
During the workshop, Colombia shared its experience with quality control in mine action with Ukraine, while Ukraine shared practical insights on information management and donor coordination with Colombia. Participants expressed their hope that initiatives like this one would continue and evolve in the future, and they agreed to continue deepening their mutual learning. In May 2026, following a request from Ukraine to Colombia to share insights on mine awareness education, an online session was held.
Knowledge-Sharing Event Organized by Mine Action Agencies in Southeast Asia
At the Meeting of Landmine Action Program Directors, a side event titled “From Shared Contamination to Shared Solutions: Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam Addressing UXO Issues Together” ( — Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Response and Regional Cooperation by Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam). This event was attended by the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC), the Lao Unexploded Ordnance Organization (UXO Lao), the Vietnam National Mine Action Center (VNMAC), and the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center (ARMAC), who discussed responses to unexploded ordnance contamination and the significance of regional cooperation.
Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam are Southeast Asian countries that have long faced the common challenge of contamination by unexploded ordnance, including cluster munitions. During this event, participants expressed the view that mutual visits and working-level exchanges among these countries are particularly effective in improving and strengthening on-site operations. This side event was held based on the outcomes of a technical workshop on unexploded ordnance (UXO) response organized by JICA and the UXO response organizations of the three countries, which took place in Cambodia in February. JICA will continue to provide support to ensure that the sharing of technical expertise among the three organizations continues in the future.
Senior Management Training for Africa
In June 2026, JICA conducted a senior management training program in Cambodia for senior officials from mine action agencies in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan. During the training, the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) served as the instructor, providing hands-on learning through facility tours and discussions.
Participants learned about technical aspects such as mine awareness education, interviews with local residents, and procedures for responding to mine discoveries, while also deepening their understanding of mine action strategies aimed at fostering community and social development, as well as the organizational management required to implement these strategies. Throughout the training period, lively discussions took place—beginning with mine action and extending to the challenges and experiences related to peacebuilding faced by their respective countries—creating a forum for mutual learning that transcended national and regional boundaries. Participants expressed a strong commitment to future initiatives, noting that the insights gained during the training were practical and that they intended to apply them to strengthen mine action efforts in their own countries.
Insights That Connect Across Borders
Countries facing the common challenge of contamination by landmines and unexploded ordnance—despite their differing histories and circumstances—are sharing their experiences, lessons learned, and innovative solutions, and learning from one another. The sharing of insights grounded in practical experience goes beyond mere technology transfer; it fosters empathy and trust among partners who have experienced conflict and are tackling the same challenges, leading to the promotion of more effective mine action and the building of peace at the national and regional levels.
JICA will continue to connect the expertise of various countries and regions and deepen cooperation among people, organizations, and nations as it works toward the realization of safe and sustainable societies free of landmines and unexploded ordnance.
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