With too many wars raging and tensions rising, we must uphold international humanitarian law and the vision of a mine-free world

Recent announcements by several states in northern and central Europe on their decision to withdraw from the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention mark a dangerous setback for the protection of civilians in armed conflict. Citing a deteriorating security situation and military threats, these decisions come at a time of rising international tensions and armed conflicts, which have already claimed tens of thousands of lives. 

History is clear and the indiscriminate effects of these weapons cannot be glossed over. Even when initially placed on frontlines, they inevitably kill and maim the very people they were meant to protect before they are eventually cleared at astronomical costs. 

The Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention comprehensively prohibits anti-personnel mines and provides vital protections for civilians in both armed conflict and post-conflict situations. States withdrawing from such treaties risk eroding life-saving protections and threaten decades of global efforts to eradicate these inhumane weapons. This is a step backward with devastating humanitarian consequences, exposing civilians to a lasting risk of death and injury.

International humanitarian law, including this convention, exists to protect people in the darkest times, based on the experience from war’s battlefields and their human costs. To adopt these rules in times of peace and to abandon them in times of war or increased tensions is to misunderstand their meaning entirely. To abandon them because the adversary does not respect them leads to a dangerous downward spiral, of which civilians will pay the price. 

Their limited military utility has not changed since the Convention was adopted in 1997: whatever it may be, states agreed to ban these weapons, because some weapons are simply not acceptable. 

Honouring humanitarian commitments is vital for protecting people caught up in armed conflict and serves the interest of all, regardless of the actions of others. Now is the time to uphold – not weaken – humanitarian norms. In times of great uncertainty and acute international tensions, we call on states to reinforce the stigma against weapons whose human cost is unacceptable. Over 80% of the world’s states are committed to a mine-free world, and this is the vision we must and will continue to work towards.