Humanitarian demining organizations in Southeast Asia are facing significant funding challenges as donor nations redirect financial resources toward active conflicts and increasing defense budgets. This shift is hampering efforts to clear land mines and unexploded ordnance, dangerous legacies of past wars that continue to threaten communities and impede development across Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
The struggle is exemplified by groups like Cambodian Self Help Demining, whose work is crucial in areas once controlled by the Khmer Rouge. En Poy, an employee of the organization who lost an arm and an eye to a land mine, highlighted the precarious situation. "If one day donors stop funding my organization, I would definitely be sad because we haven't finished our job," he said. "There are still a lot of landmines left over."
Funding for humanitarian demining, which totaled $4.3 billion globally between 2020 and 2024, has seen a significant portion diverted to ongoing conflicts. Ukraine received one-third of all humanitarian demining funding in 2024, the largest share of any country. Other active conflict zones, including Yemen and Gaza, have also seen increased financial support, as have demining efforts in Syria, Sudan, and Afghanistan. This redirection means that organizations working on older, long-term demining projects in Asia are receiving less aid.
Compounding the issue, some nations are increasing their defense spending, reducing the overall availability of foreign aid. Germany, for instance, is reportedly considering cutting foreign aid to bolster its defense budget and support for Ukraine.
The United States' role as a primary donor has also been inconsistent. During the Trump administration, U.S. demining aid to Southeast Asia experienced fluctuations, including a 90-day freeze on foreign aid last year. While American support for Cambodia has restarted, this unpredictability has created uncertainty. Danae Hendrickson of the advocacy group Legacies of War noted that such shifts have "set a really dangerous precedent."
Despite U.S. commitments, such as $130 million in demining assistance announced for Southeast Asia in July, past disruptions have eroded trust. Last year's aid freeze briefly halted projects in Vietnam, weakening Hanoi's confidence in U.S. commitments, according to Nguyen Khac Giang of Singapore's ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson stated that American assistance is "not charity" and that humanitarian demining aid continues to serve U.S. interests globally. Between 1992 and 2025, U.S. efforts have helped find approximately 1.2 million mines and 3.2 million other explosive remnants of war in Cambodia alone.
Demining is a slow and methodical process involving surveying, mapping, clearing vegetation, and using specialized equipment to locate and destroy explosives. Progress is often measured in meters per day and can be further slowed by weather conditions. "These things don’t really become less dangerous with time. They become more dangerous as they deteriorate," explained Charles Ray, a Vietnam War veteran and former U.S. ambassador to Cambodia.
In Cambodia, despite decades of demining efforts, an estimated 1,749 square kilometers of land remained uncleared as of last year. Organizations like the Landmine Relief Fund, which supports Cambodian Self Help Demining, warn that without sustained international support, critical demining operations may have to cease. Bill Morse, president of the fund, stated, "If people want to pull their money away, that’s a decision that they have to make. But when they do, people will die here."