Washington, DC - The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs has released the 15th Edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety, a report summarizing the accomplishments of the U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Program. For more than 20 years, the United States has led the international donor community in promoting peace and security worldwide by partnering with nations to address humanitarian hazards from landmines and unexploded ordnance in post-conflict countries, as well as to reduce the availability of excess, loosely-secured, or otherwise at-risk weapons and munitions.
The United States is the world’s single largest financial supporter of conventional weapons destruction, investing over $2.6 billion in more than 95 countries since 1993. In 2015, the Department of State provided approximately $154 million in conventional weapons destruction assistance in more than 40 countries. These commitments include $26 million in emergency support for programs helping families displaced by ISIL in Iraq and Syria to return safely home, as well as expanded assistance to Laos and Colombia. These programs, and others around the world, seek to clear landmines and unexploded ordnance as well as to educate communities, especially children, on how to prevent injuries and death from landmines and explosive remnants of war and set the stage for post-conflict recovery.