From Battlefield to Farmland: End the legacy of war in Southeast Asia
Tell your Members of Congress to fund humanitarian demining programs and help communities move from fear to freedom.
For more than 20 years, families in Sri Lanka were unable to worship at their church on Puvaransanthivu Island, cut off by landmines and unexploded ordnance left behind by civil war. Those same families are now finally making the journey back for the first time in decades after a year and a half of painstaking demining efforts. This year, parishioners celebrated their Feast Day by walking freely across land that was once deadly.
Landmines and explosive hazards threaten communities in nearly 60 countries, but you can help. Tell your Members of Congress to support demining programs that save lives, restore livelihoods, and help communities around the world get the chance to come home.
As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to support increased funding for State Department global demining programs, funded through the State Department's Conventional Weapons Destruction (CWD) account by signing the global demining appropriations sign-on letter.
The Conventional Weapons Destruction (CWD) account funds State Department demining and weapons security management programs in roughly 40 countries. In Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, CWD programs are clearing U.S.-origin explosives from the Vietnam War, bringing closure to local communities and U.S. veterans while strengthening bilateral ties. CWD programs also build security partnerships in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America where the U.S. is competing with China for access and influence, and project American soft power by providing a direct benefit to local populations while deminers wear highly visible U.S. flags.
These programs also allow countries to rebuild after conflict, put farmland back to use, and construct roads, railways, schools, and hospitals. Demining is critical to economic recovery, reducing the need for other forms of aid, and enabling opportunities for positive trade with the U.S.
Demining and weapons security programs save lives, protect U.S. national security and economic interests, and demonstrate American leadership in Southeast Asia and beyond. Therefore, I urge you to support increased funding for the Conventional Weapons Destruction account in the FY27 appropriations process, including by joining related sign-on letters.
Thank you for your leadership and for supporting programs that save lives and create lasting security.
[Comment]
Se flere underskriftsindsamlinger: 
