The hidden risk of Explosive Ordnance in the Pacific

The hidden risk of Explosive Ordnance in the Pacific

80 years on from the WorldWar II, Explosive Ordnance hazards continue to pose risks to people and communities throughout the Pacific region, blocking land and resources, causing environmental harm, and most tragically still causing deaths and life-altering injuries.

The Pacific RegionalExplosive Ordnance Risk Reduction Workshop was held in Brisbane from 24 – 26September 2024, and attended by Pacific police representatives from the SolomonIslands, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Fiji and Tonga.The workshop also included representatives from 32 regional and international organisations, 11 affected Pacific countries, donors, non-government organisations, commercial clearance operators, capacity development organisations, and military support missions.

Focussed on the key question of “How do we achieve a Pacific free from the impact of Explosive Ordnance?”, the workshop provided an opportunity for practitioners, particularly police who are often the first responders when Explosive Ordinance is located, to better understand the problem and identify contextualised solutions to addressExplosive Ordinance Disposal in a systematic manner.

Julian Bianco, ExecutiveCoordinator at the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP) Secretariat had theopportunity to provide an overview of the PICP to the workshop and emphasisedPolice Chiefs commitment to building Explosive Ordnance capacity in the Pacificregion.

Bianco further stated “donorsand partners should be mindful this will require close coordination withexisting regional security architecture including the PICP and the PacificCommunity for Law Enforcement Cooperation, the PICP’s regional delivery mechanismthat supports capability development in law enforcement priority areas asdirected by the Chiefs”.

“Capabilities need to bedeveloped through a ‘by the Pacific, for the Pacific’ approach, withappropriately trained and skilled officers to work alongside experts and leadcapacity development activities”.

The workshop was delivered bythe globally respected Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining(GICHD) in cooperation with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs andTrade and Pacific Islands Forum.

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