96% of Vietnamese Unexploded Ordnance Victims "Struggling Livelihood Due to COVID-19"... KOICA Supports Disabled in Vietnam

Emergency Support of $130,000 Worth of Quarantine Supplies and Emergency Food Including Masks, Hand Sanitizers, and Rice
KOICA Revises Victim Support Plan for Swift Assistance

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) Vietnam Office and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conducted a survey titled ‘The Impact of COVID-19 on People with Disabilities in Vietnam’ targeting over 1,000 disabled individuals in Vietnam. The results showed that among respondents who are victims of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the war, 96% reported that their livelihoods have become difficult due to COVID-19.

Since the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Vietnam at the end of January, there have been 325 confirmed cases as of May 26. Although the Vietnamese government’s strong social distancing policies have controlled community spread, people with disabilities, who are in welfare blind spots, remain at risk from COVID-19.

In response, KOICA announced that from May 25 to 27, in cooperation with UNDP and the Vietnam National Mine Action Center, it urgently provided quarantine supplies and relief goods worth approximately $130,000 (160 million KRW), including masks, hand sanitizers, rice, and cooking oil, to over 9,000 UXO victims in Vietnam who are struggling due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The KOICA-UNDP Vietnam Office conducted a survey from April 14 to 28 on over 1,000 people with disabilities in Vietnam to accurately understand the difficulties faced by landmine and UXO victims due to COVID-19 and to provide support tailored to their needs.

82% of respondents said they were worried about COVID-19 infection, and 70% reported difficulty accessing medical services such as diagnostic testing. Notably, about one-third of respondents were UXO victims living in Quang Binh and Binh Dinh provinces, which are target areas of KOICA’s ‘Integrated Mine and UXO Response Capacity Building Project’ ongoing since 2016. Among them, 96% reported that their livelihoods have become difficult due to COVID-19. Additionally, 30% experienced job loss, 49% had reduced working hours, and 59% faced wage cuts due to COVID-19.

To provide prompt support, KOICA urgently revised the budget plan for the victim support component of the ‘Integrated Mine and UXO Response Capacity Building Project’ that has been underway in Vietnam since 2016.

Jo Han-duk, head of KOICA Vietnam Office, said, “The most affected by global pandemics like COVID-19 are socially vulnerable groups, and among them, people with disabilities are relatively more likely to fall into protection blind spots. In such special circumstances, we will continue to strive to provide faster and more humanitarian support to victims and survivors of landmines and UXO from past wars.”

Meanwhile, it is estimated that about 18% of Vietnam’s land area is contaminated with landmines and UXO due to prolonged wars. Accordingly, KOICA has been implementing a $20 million project since 2016 to strengthen the integrated response capacity and support victims in the landmine and UXO sector in cooperation with the Vietnamese government.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.