Overview:
UXO is more than a clearance problem — it is a lasting humanitarian issue for survivors and communities across the Pacific. At a regional dialogue in Palau, Solomon Islands survivor and Bomb Free Solomon Islands founder Maeverlyn Pitonoe called for survivors and affected communities to have a stronger voice in decisions on unexploded ordnance response, from risk education and clearance to rehabilitation, livelihoods and social inclusion.
By Elilai Rengiil
KOROR, Palau – Pacific governments and international partners must measure progress against unexploded ordnance not only by the bombs they clear, but by whether survivors and affected communities can rebuild their lives, a Solomon Islands survivor told a regional dialogue in Palau.
Maeverlyn Pitonoe, founder of Bomb Free Solomon Islands, said unexploded ordnance, or UXO, remains a daily threat for families who farm, fish, gather food and raise children in places where wartime explosives may still be buried.
Pitonoe, herself a UXO survivor, spoke during the Regional Stakeholder Dialogue on implementation of the Convention on Anti-Personnel Mines, held at the Palasia Hotel after the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.
“There were other survivors in Solomon Islands, families who had lost loved ones, people living with injuries and disabilities, and the community continued to farm, fish, collect food, and raise their children in places where UXO may still be hidden beneath the ground,” Pitonoe said. “That is when my personal experience became a responsibility.”
The three-day dialogue started on September 7 and brought together Pacific officials, humanitarian organizations, survivors, and mine-action partners to discuss risk education, national implementation, reporting, clearance, and the economic effects of explosive remnants of war.
Delegates visited Peleliu on Monday, where World War II ordnance remains a continuing concern.
Pitonoe said UXO should be treated as a humanitarian issue, not only as a clearance challenge.
“UXO is not simply an explosive device lying on the ground, waiting to be found,” she said. “It is a humanitarian issue because it can take lives, change bodies, and leave survivors and families carrying the consequences.”
She said victim assistance must extend beyond emergency medical treatment. Survivors may require rehabilitation, psychosocial support, accessible services, education, livelihood opportunities, social inclusion and assistance for family members and caregivers.
Bomb Free Solomon Islands works to give survivors and affected communities a voice, strengthen public awareness and risk education, support families, and contribute evidence for advocacy and policy, Pitonoe said.
She called on Pacific neighbors and international partners to ensure survivors are included in decisions about UXO response.
“Survivors and affected communities must not simply be people we speak about, but people we listen to and include,” she said.
Nola Fassau, adviser to the Pacific Islands Forum delegation to the United Nations and other organizations, said UXO continues to restrict movement, development, climate-resilience work, livelihoods and safety across the region.
“An ocean of peace must mean that Pacific people are able to walk their land, cultivate their gardens, build homes and schools, raise their children without fear of weapons left behind by wars that ended generations ago,” Fassau said.
Juan Carlos Ruan, director of the Convention’s Implementation Support Unit, said the Pacific’s support for the global ban on anti-personnel mines carries importance beyond the region. Minister of State Gustav Aitaro said the dialogue demonstrated Pacific leadership and collective responsibility in addressing the socioeconomic impact of explosive remnants of war.
Palau acceded to the Convention on Anti-Personnel Mines on November 18, 2007; it entered into force for Palau on May 1, 2008.