António Guterres announced the move in a statement issued on Monday, in response to plans by several UN Member States to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

The 1997 treaty, also known as the Ottawa Convention, prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of these weapons.

Landmark global agreeement

Since then, it “has led to a virtual halt in global production of anti-personnel mines, and a drastic reduction in their deployment,” and “more than 40 million stockpiled mines have been destroyed,” according to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA).

To date, 165 States are party to the treaty and 133 have signed it.

Five European countries – Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland – have recently announced that they intend to leave, or taken steps in this direction, reportedly due to security concerns related to Russia.

Weakening protection, undermining progress

Without naming countries, the Secretary-General expressed grave concern over the development.

“At a time when civilians face heightened risks from widening conflicts, it is imperative that we strengthen the frameworks that protect human life and dignity,” he said.

“These announcements are particularly troubling, as it risks weakening civilian protection and undermining two decades of a normative framework that has saved countless lives.”

He urged all States “to adhere to humanitarian disarmament treaties and immediately halt any steps towards their withdrawal,” and appealed to the 32 States that have yet to join the treaty to do so without delay.

These countries include China, Iran, Israel, Russia, and the United States.

About the campaign

The Secretary-General’s campaign will centre around upholding the norms of humanitarian disarmament, accelerating mine action as an enabler of human rights and sustainable development, and driving forward the vision of a mine-free world.

“To achieve these aims, over the next six months this campaign will aim to re-energise public support for disarmament and will also facilitate concrete actions by States to uphold humanitarian norms and strengthen mine action,” he said.

He concluded by stressing that “the urgency of this matter cannot be overstated,” saying “the protection of innocent lives depends on our collective action and commitment.”