Laos is cleaning its land. The country is also planning a big meeting about dangerous bombs.

寮國正在清理其土地。該國還計劃就危險炸彈舉行一次大型會議。

Many years ago, the USA dropped many bombs in Laos. Some bombs did not explode. These bombs are still in the ground. They are very dangerous for people.

許多年前，美國在寮國投下了許多炸彈。有些炸彈當時沒有爆炸，這些炸彈至今仍留在地底。這對人們來說非常危險。

Workers use special tools to find the bombs. Then they blow them up safely. Many villages still have bombs in the ground. This makes the people poor because they cannot farm the land.

工作人員使用特殊工具來尋找炸彈，然後將它們安全地爆破。許多村莊的地底仍有炸彈，這導致人們陷入貧困，因為他們無法在土地上耕種。

Schools teach children about the bombs. Children learn not to touch them. Now, fewer people die from bombs than in the past. But the country still needs to find all of them.

學校教導孩子們關於炸彈的知識。孩子們學習不要觸碰炸彈。現在，死於炸彈的人數比過去少，但該國仍需要將所有炸彈全部找出來。

Laos is working hard to remove all bombs. They want to help the world stop using these weapons.

寮國正努力移除所有炸彈。他們希望幫助世界停止使用這些武器。

Laos is currently carrying out large-scale land clearing operations and is preparing to host an international conference about banning cluster munitions.

寮國目前正進行大規模的土地清理行動，並準備舉辦一場關於禁用集束彈藥的國際會議。

The current contamination of Lao land is a result of air bombings by the United States between 1964 and 1973. This campaign was caused by the presence of the Ho Chi Minh trail and the Pathet Lao movement, leading to the use of over 2 million tons of explosives. Cluster munitions are especially dangerous; about 270 million small bombs were used, and roughly 30% failed to explode, creating a lasting danger for civilians.

寮國目前土地受污染的情況是由於美國在 1964 年至 1973 年間進行的空中轟炸所致。這次行動是因為胡志明小道和寮國解放人民聯合陣線（Pathet Lao）運動的存在，導致使用了超過 200 萬噸的炸藥。集束彈藥尤其危險；當時使用了約 2.7 億枚小炸彈，其中約 30% 未能爆炸，對平民造成了持久的威脅。

To deal with this problem, the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Program uses technical methods, such as metal detectors, to find and safely destroy these bombs. However, the scale of the problem is still huge. For example, in the village of Ban Napia, 23,000 hectares of land still need to be cleared. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) emphasized that these unexploded bombs are a major obstacle to rural development, as highly contaminated areas often have higher poverty levels. Consequently, Laos has added a special 18th Sustainable Development Goal to remove these risks.

為了處理這個問題，寮國國家未爆彈計劃（Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Program）採用技術手段，例如使用金屬探測器來尋找並安全地摧毀這些炸彈。然而，問題的規模依然巨大。例如，在 Ban Napia 村，仍有 23,000 公頃的土地需要清理。聯合國開發計劃署（UNDP）強調，這些未爆彈是農村發展的主要障礙，因為高度污染的地區通常貧困程度較高。因此，寮國增加了一項特殊的第 18 項可持續發展目標，以消除這些風險。

Furthermore, the government has focused on risk education to reduce injuries, especially among young people. This teaching approach helps people identify bombs and avoid dangerous activities, such as digging with hoes or starting fires on the ground. While the number of deaths has dropped from thousands per year in the 1980s to just a few in recent years, these devices still prevent the growth of agriculture and infrastructure.

此外，政府將重點放在風險教育上以減少受傷人數，尤其是年輕人。這種教學方法幫助人們識別炸彈並避免危險活動，例如用鋤頭挖掘或在地面點火。雖然死亡人數已從 1980 年代的每年數千人下降到近年僅有數人，但這些裝置仍阻礙著農業與基礎設施的增長。

Laos continues to carry out organized demining work while taking a leading role in the global effort to get rid of cluster munitions.

寮國繼續開展有組織的排雷工作，同時在全球消除集束彈藥的努力中扮演領導角色。

Laos is currently implementing extensive land clearance operations and preparing to host an international conference regarding the prohibition of cluster munitions.

寮國目前正採取大規模的土地清理行動，並準備舉辦一場關於禁止集束彈藥的國際會議。

The current contamination of Lao territory is a consequence of strategic aerial bombardments conducted by the United States between 1964 and 1973. This campaign, precipitated by the presence of the Ho Chi Minh trail and the Pathet Lao movement, resulted in the deployment of over 2 million tons of ordnance. Of particular concern are cluster munitions; approximately 270 million sub-munitions were deployed, with an estimated 30% failure rate in detonation, thereby creating a persistent hazard for the civilian population.

目前寮國領土的污染是美國在1964年至1973年間進行戰略空中轟炸的結果。這次行動是由胡志明小徑和寮國解放軍（Pathet Lao）運動所觸發，導致部署了超過200萬噸彈藥。特別令人關注的是集束彈藥；約有2.7億枚子彈藥被部署，估計有30%未能爆炸，從而對平民造成了持續的危害。

Institutional responses to this legacy are manifested in the activities of the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Program. Technical protocols involve the systematic use of loop and metal detectors to identify anomalies, followed by controlled detonations. Despite these efforts, the scale of contamination remains significant, as evidenced by the village of Ban Napia, where 23,000 hectares require clearance. The socio-economic implications are profound; the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) asserts that unexploded ordnance (UXO) constitutes a primary impediment to rural development, correlating high contamination zones with elevated poverty levels. Consequently, Laos has integrated a specific 18th Sustainable Development Goal focused on the eradication of UXO risks.

面對此遺留問題的制度化回應體現於寮國國家未爆彈藥計劃的活動中。技術方案包括系統性地使用圓環探測器和金屬探測器以識別異常，隨後進行受控爆破。儘管付出了這些努力，污染規模依然顯著，例如在Ban Napia村，有23,000公頃土地需要清理。社會經濟影響深遠；聯合國開發計劃署（UNDP）主張，未爆彈藥（UXO）是農村發展的主要障礙，高污染地帶與高貧困率呈正相關。因此，寮國將消除UXO風險納入一個特定的第18個可持續發展目標。

Furthermore, the state has prioritized risk education to mitigate casualties, particularly among youth. This pedagogical approach focuses on the identification of munitions and the avoidance of high-risk behaviors, such as the use of hoes for excavation or the ignition of ground fires. While casualty rates have declined from thousands per annum in the 1980s to single digits in recent years, the persistence of these devices continues to obstruct agricultural productivity and infrastructure expansion.

此外，政府優先考慮風險教育以減少傷亡，特別是在青少年之中。這種教學方法側重於彈藥的識別以及避免高風險行為，例如使用鋤頭挖掘或在地面點火。雖然傷亡率已從1980年代的每年數千人下降至近年的個位數，但這些裝置的持續存在仍繼續阻礙農業生產力與基礎設施的擴展。

Laos continues to execute systematic demining operations while assuming a leadership role in the global effort to eliminate cluster munitions.

寮國繼續執行系統性的排雷行動，同時在全球消除集束彈藥的努力中扮演領導角色。