On August 14, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) awarded Mr. Jan Erik Støa, former Country Director of Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), with the “For Peace and Friendship among Nations” medal for his contributions to mine clearance and capacity building in the country.
During his five-year tenure, NPA’s project budget increased by 60%-80%, overcoming challenges like COVID-19. He led improvements in survey and clearance methods, resulting in the completion of cluster bomb surveys and detailed mapping in Quang Tri.
He emphasized capacity building for Vietnamese staff, including training women in mine clearance. Until now, many projects in Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, and Kon Tum provinces have been handed over to local authorities.
Besides, Mr. Støa promoted cooperation among organizations in post-war recovery and led NPA’s efforts in disaster relief.
(Thoi Dai [1])