PHNOM PENH: The Belgian government is providing $387,167 to APOPO Humanitarian Demining to support the "Integration of Minesweeper and Technical Research Dogs" from January to December 2024.

The Royal Government Delegation in charge of the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC), Heng Ratana, and APOPO President Michael Raine, signed the Cooperation Agreement on December 13, 2023.

According to the plan, CMAC will clear a total area of 98 million square meters in Siem Reap, Preah Vihear and Mondulkiri Provinces.

Please be reminded that CMAC and APOPO have been working together for almost ten years on demining. The partnership has cleared more than 3,000 hectares of land and destroyed more than 51,000 unexploded ordnance.

In addition to demining cooperation in Cambodia, CMAC and APOPO have also strengthened cooperation with other partners by sending CMAC dogs to Turkey and other Central African countries.

The two units also coordinated and supported the deployment of CMAC units to other countries to provide dog training, technical research, and the training of unexploded ordnance officers in their home countries.

APOPO is best known for their HeroRats that are trained in demining. Their small size and effective skills make them ideal for finding unexploded mines as they are too light to detonate them. People visiting Siem Reap can tour the APOPO and meet the heroic rats while getting a sense of the breadth of their mission.