New York, June 17 (SANA) United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said anti-personnel landmines contaminate at least 58 countries and territories worldwide, resulting in large numbers of civilian casualties, the majority of whom are children.
Agence France-Presse quoted Türk as saying in a statement issued Tuesday: “It is extremely worrying that, nearly 30 years after the adoption of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, people are still being killed and injured by these explosive weapons.”
He called on all states to commit to ending the production, use and transfer of anti-personnel landmines and to intensify cooperation in clearing mined areas.
“States that have not yet ratified the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines should do so without delay, and those that have withdrawn from it should rejoin it promptly,” Türk added.
Although the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines, which entered into force in 1999, has been joined by 162 countries, Türk noted that several states possessing large stockpiles of landmines have yet to become parties to the treaty.
According to a report prepared by the High Commissioner based on information provided by governments, non-governmental organizations, humanitarian agencies and civil society groups, landmines, cluster munitions and explosive remnants of war killed at least 645 people and injured 4,325 others in 2024.
The report said children account for more than 40 percent of all civilian victims of anti-personnel landmines recorded since 1999.
It added that contributions to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action declined sharply over seven years, falling from $125 million to $46 million by 2025.
In a separate statement, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines said landmines and explosive remnants of war, including cluster munitions, killed or injured more than 5,000 people in 2025, the overwhelming majority of them were civilians.
N.J/R.K
