Geneva: The UN’s top human rights official has raised concerns over six European countries’ decisions to withdraw from an international treaty banning anti-personnel mines. Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine are either in the process of or considering exiting the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines, known as the Ottawa Convention.

According to EMM, Volker Trk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has issued a statement highlighting the long-term harm these weapons pose to civilians, including children. The Ottawa Convention, established in 1997, aims to regulate the conduct of parties in armed conflicts by prohibiting the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines.

Trk emphasized that the dangers associated with these mines continue long after conflicts end, affecting farmland, playgrounds, and homes. Although the Ottawa Convention has garnered 166 State parties since its inception, recent trends show a reversal, with a 22 percent increase in civilian casualties from mines in 2024. Notably, 85 percent of these casualties were civilians, with half being children.

Despite significant progress, landmines continue to threaten approximately 100 million people across 60 countries. In Ukraine, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) estimates that over 20 percent of the country’s land is contaminated by mines. Similarly, Cambodia still faces the threat of landmines, decades after its conflict ended.

Trk has urged all parties to the Ottawa Convention to adhere to their international obligations and called on non-signatories to join the treaty. He stressed the urgency of halting any withdrawal processes from international humanitarian law treaties to prevent further civilian suffering.