December 15, 2025

 

 Statement by Religions for Peace Japan

Following the Twenty-Second Meeting of the States Parties

to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

 

The Twenty-Second Meeting of the States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from December 1 to 5. “The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (formally known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction was initiated at an international conference in Ottawa, Canada, in October 1996, in response to the situation where many civilians were indiscriminately harmed by anti-personnel mines buried in conflict zones. Negotiations for the treaty began, which was signed in December 1997, and entered into force in March 1999.

The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty prohibits all actions related to anti-personnel mines under any circumstances, including their use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, possession, and transfer, as well as any assistance, encouragement, or inducement to these acts. It further mandates the destruction of all anti-personnel mines. Additionally, it calls for the advancement of international support and cooperation for mine clearance and assistance to mine victims, even for countries not affected by landmines.

The establishment of this treaty is also known for the significant role played by NGOs and ordinary citizens. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), along with NGOs conducting support activities in conflict zones and many citizens, brought the harm caused by anti-personnel landmines and their inhumanity to the world’s attention, leading to the treaty’s adoption.

However, the “Land Mine Monitor 2025” report released by the ICBL in December reported that 6,279 people were killed or injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war in 2024, marking the highest number of casualties from anti-personnel mines since 2020. Myanmar, a non-signatory to the treaty, currently has the world’s highest number of anti-personnel landmine casualties (2,029). In Syria, which has the second-highest number of casualties after Myanmar, the number of victims has increased as civilians return to their lands following the collapse of the Assad regime. Numerous casualties from anti-personnel mines have also been reported in Afghanistan and Ukraine, both Treaty signatories. Ninety percent of these global mine victims were civilians, nearly half of whom were children. This report highlights the fact that innocent civilians and children are indiscriminately harmed by anti-personnel mines.

At this Conference of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva, five European countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland) announced their withdrawal from the treaty, leaving it following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022. This move comes against the backdrop of the fact that major countries like the United States, China, Russia, Israel, India, and Pakistan are not still parties to the treaty, coupled with the ongoing use of mines by Russia in Ukraine. The withdrawals from the treaty raise concerns about its weakening and the potential for further increases in casualties. Furthermore, international aid for mine clearance and victim assistance continues to decline.

On March 14, 2025, the WCRP Japan Committee issued an emergency statement regarding the rapid increase in landmine casualties in Myanmar. It expressed grave concern over the severe surge in landmine casualties in Myanmar and strongly urged the international community to take immediate action. It emphasized that anti-personnel landmines, unlike guns or bombs, indiscriminately kill and maim civilians and children, causing limb loss and drastically altering their lives, and are therefore cruel and inhumane weapons. It strongly urged non-signatory states, as well as countries delaying accession due to tensions with neighboring nations, to join the treaty.

Now, following the Conference of the States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, the WCRP Japan Committee once again expresses deep concern over the current situation regarding anti-personnel landmines and strongly appeals to nations worldwide and the broader international community with our appeals.

  • From a religious perspective, anti-personnel landmines, as “indiscriminate weapons” that sacrifice innocent civilians, cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.
  • Prioritize the protection of the dignity of all life and humanity as the foremost value, immediately cease the development, production, stockpiling, and use of anti-personnel landmines, and destroy all existing anti-personnel landmines.
  • Strongly urge countries that have not acceded to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, or that have withdrawn from it, to accede to the Convention, and continue efforts toward universalization of the Convention by all nations.
  • Provide ongoing support to victims of anti-personnel landmines and maintain international assistance for mine clearance operations.

We, as religious leaders, will continuously monitor the issue of anti-personnel landmines through the global network of Religions for Peace spanning 90 countries. Through cooperation and collaboration with UN agencies, NGOs, and religious leaders worldwide, we will persist in prayer and action, striving to raise international awareness.