From:  Global Youth Mine Action Fellows

Dear Honorable Secretary Rubio:

As Mine Action Fellows, we urge you to immediately lift the 90-day stop-work order on U.S. foreign assistance programming, which has suspended the U.S. funded demining efforts. A waiver or expedited review for these programs — including global demining operations, victim assistance, and explosive ordnance risk education — is critical to allowing demining professionals to resume their life-saving work; work which is directly tied to US national security and diplomacy interests.

While we recognize the need for oversight in government spending, suspending mine action programs for three months threatens to undo decades of progress, endanger lives, and jeopardize entire initiatives that may not be able to restart once halted. A spending review and life-saving work can occur simultaneously, ensuring progress continues rather than being put on hold.  

We write not only as subject matter experts but also as youth with a personal stake in this crisis. Many of us are survivors, family members of victims, deminers, victim assistance providers, and mine risk educators. Some of us have even lost our livelihoods due to this funding freeze, putting us at risk of poverty and weakening our communities. Our work is deeply intertwined with the consequences of war, yet our generation is expected to build the future without the tools to clear the past. The suspension of these programs tells us that the voices of those directly impacted — especially young people — are being dismissed in decisions that determine life or death for our communities.

Mine clearance is in the strategic and national security interests of the United States, as  U.S.-funded demining efforts have saved lives and supported stability in post-conflict regions worldwide, from the Balkans to the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Putting the significance of demining funding into perspective, in Laos and Cambodia, the danger of UXO still remains with past U.S. military campaigns continuing to kill civilians. In Colombia, landmine clearance is essential for advancing the country’s peace process and fostering economic stability, offering viable employment alternatives that reduce reliance on illicit activities that can pose risks beyond its borders, including to U.S. citizens. In Ukraine, landmines and cluster munitions block agricultural production and increase food prices around the world which leads to instability and unrest. These threats persist long after conflicts end, making sustained U.S. support essential.

The U.S. Department of State’s To Walk the Earth in Safety report highlights the tangible successes of U.S.-funded demining programs. These efforts allow communities to rebuild, develop economically , and protect civilians from the daily threat of explosive remnants of war. U.S. investments in mine action have helped return land to productive use, supporting farmers, businesses, and infrastructure projects that would otherwise be impossible. Since 1993, the U.S. has stewarded conventional weapons destruction across more than 100 countries, directly contributing to safer communities and stronger global partnerships. Suspending these programs undermines these hard-won achievements and puts thousands of lives at immediate risk.

The impact of mine action is undeniable. Globally, 15 people — half of them children—are killed or injured by landmines and ERW every day. While a landmine explodes in an instant, its effects last for generations. Survivors struggle with lifelong disabilities, economic hardship, and psychological trauma. This is not just about clearing land — it is about restoring dignity, ensuring equality, following through on our global commitments, and securing a future where no one is left behind.

Beyond the humanitarian imperative, mine action also protects U.S. national security interests. Moreover, these programs strengthen diplomatic and economic partnerships and reduce displacement. U.S. investment in UXO clearance has fostered reconciliation and cooperation with countries such as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, where war legacies once strained relations. For many refugees, landmines and unexploded ordnance contaminating their home lands prevent them from returning home and force them to seek out other places to live. In Angola and Mozambique, once among the most heavily mined countries in the world, U.S.-supported demining efforts have facilitated infrastructure projects and economic growth, reinforcing regional stability and trade opportunities. Contaminated land in many parts of the world prevents governments and corporations from accessing natural resources like rare minerals. Unexploded ordnance can be repurposed by extremist groups, fueling further instability. Uncleared landmines also threaten the lives of U.S. personnel, contractors, and aid workers operating in post-conflict zones.

Congress has already allocated funding for these programs on behalf of the American people. Global communities depend on this aid. As we commemorate milestones in U.S. engagement with mine-affected nations—from the 30th anniversary of U.S.-Vietnam relations to ongoing demining efforts in the Caucasus—now is not the time to halt progress. Suspending these programs would not only endanger thousands of lives but also undermine decades of U.S. investment in security, stability, and diplomacy allowing other nations like China to step into a leadership position. 

The United States has long led the world in mine action, building economic and political ties around the globe and ensuring that war’s remnants do not continue to take innocent lives. Now, we urge you to uphold this legacy by lifting the stop-work order and allowing these critical programs to continue.

We appreciate your leadership and urge you to take immediate action to reinstate these programs.

 

With hope and urgency,

Taryn Sebba, Legacies of War, United States of America

Murphy Nosanchuk, Legacies of War, United States of America

Kendall Silwonuk, Legacies of War and ARTICLE22, United States of America

Megan Lombardi, Legacies of War, United States of America

Anna Phommachanthone, Legacies of War, United States of America

Lena Johannsen-Herby, United States of America

Kendahl Kelly, United States of America / Denmark

Ella Noël Comité pour les droits humains en Amérique latine (CDHAL), Canada 

Kimyan Moeun, Legacies of War, Cambodia 

Chanrachna Bun, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Cambodia 

Meas Sreynang, Angkor Association for the Disabled (AAD), Cambodia

Ou Rathana, Angkor Association for the Disabled (AAD), Cambodia

Sereyvathanak Phayphoeung, Cambodia

Ferdausia Mokamad, Philippines

Adithya Ramanitharan, Sri Lanka Campaign to Ban Landmines (SLCBL), Sri Lanka

Nimaya Dahanayake, Sri Lanka Campaign to Ban Landmines (SLCBL), Sri Lanka

Aditya Gulhane, Indian Campaign to Ban Landmines & Cluster Munitions, India

Manar Khudur, Sweden

Hiba Khan, Sustainable Peace and Development Organization (SPADO), Pakistan 

Dawood Khattak, Sustainable Peace and Development Organization (SPADO), Pakistan

Behnam Sadeghi, Ofogh NGO, Iran

Abdullah Dapoos, Iraq 

Murtadha Abdullah, Iraq

Maria Saliba, Lebanon

Lisi Ferrero, Asociación para el Análisis de Políticas Públicas, Argentina

Candelaria Lopez, Asociación para el Analisis de Polítcas Pública, Argentina Donathille

Victoria Bohl, Asociación para el Análisis de Políticas Públicas, Argentina

Giovanna Rezende, Dhesarme - Brazilian Action for Humanitarian Disarmament, Brazil

Hevelyn Priciely Ghizzi, Dhesarme - Brazilian Action for Humanitarian Disarmament, Brazil 

Maria Clara de Magalhães Ribeiro, Dhesarme - Brazilian Action for Humanitarian Disarmament, Brazil

Katherine Otálora, Colombia

Sergio Martínez, Colombia

Alejandra Uscategui, Colombia

Juan Pablo Parra, Colombia

Carolina Barrios Martínez, Colombia 

Diego Cortez Toro, Colombia

Briyith Estrada Montaño, Colombia

Valentina Prada Gómez, Colombia

Opare Arnold, Foundation for Security and Development in Africa

Plamedi Sukami Lema, Campagne Congolaise de la Lutte Anti-Mine, Democratic Republic of Congo 

Jefferson Batesimah, Ghana

Kauna Iliya, Nigeria

Zainab Ajimi, Nigeria 

Laurent BIZIMANA, Organization of Landmine Survivors and Amputees in Rwanda

Euphrasie UWAMAHORO - Organization of Landmine Survivors and Amputees in Rwanda (OLSAR) 

Jean Marie Vianney NYANDWI, Organization of Landmine Survivors and Amputees in Rwanda (OLSAR)

MUHIMPUNDU, Organization of Landmine Survivors and Amputees in Rwanda (OLSAR)

Jeannette Uwambayinema, Rwanda

Cheikh Sadibou DIEDHIOU, Association of Mines Victimes Sénégalaises, in Senegal/ Casamance

Fadumo Abdullahi, Somalia 

Nsiro Paul, Amputee Self-help Network Uganda

Ayaa Joyce, Explosive Ordnance Network Survivors, Uganda

Oyella Eveline Severio, Explosive Ordnance Network Survivors, Uganda

Tanaka Ndongera, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), Zimbabwe 

Roza Safikhanli, Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines