New York: The UN's top human rights official has raised significant concerns over six European nations considering or in the process of withdrawing from an international treaty banning anti-personnel mines. Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine are taking steps to potentially exit the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, also known as the Ottawa Convention.
According to United Nations, Volker Trk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that these weapons pose ongoing risks with severe consequences for civilians, including children. The Ottawa Convention, agreed upon in 1997, was designed to control the actions of parties in armed conflicts by prohibiting the use, stockpiling, production, or transfer of anti-personnel mines due to the threat they pose, particularly to civilians.
Despite the treaty's success in reducing the use of these mines over the past 25 years, recent trends indicate a troubling reversal. The number of civilian casualties from mines has increased by 22 percent in 2024, with 85 percent of the victims being civilians, and half of those being children.
Some 100 million people in 60 countries still face the threat of landmines. In Ukraine, the UN Mine Action Service estimates that more than 20 percent of the country's land, approximately 139,000 square kilometers, remains contaminated. Similarly, Cambodia continues to face significant threats from landmines, despite years of de-mining efforts following conflict.
Mr. Trk urged all parties to the Ottawa Convention to adhere to their international legal obligations and called on non-signatories to join the treaty. He emphasized the need for states to refrain from withdrawing from international humanitarian law treaties and to halt any ongoing withdrawal processes.