The New Zealand Government is to give $1.1million in funding to help clear cluster bombs in Laos.
The Aotearoa New Zealand Cluster Munition Coalition says up to one- quarter of the villages in Laos are affected by unexploded bombs.
They were dropped during the Vietnam War more than 40 years ago.
Coalition coordinator Mary Wareham says the money will go towards cluster bomb clearance, as well as education and victim assistance.
The bomb clearance will pave the way for regional development and tourism in areas such as the Plain of Jars, she says.
The funding was announced at the first meeting of the global Convention on Cluster Munitions in Laos this week.
