Nobel Peace-Prize Winner Denounces Baltic Countries’ Official Announcement of Withdrawal from Life-Saving Landmine Ban Treaty
PRESS RELEASE
Geneva 1 July 2025 - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have formally notified States Parties of their intention to withdraw from the Mine Ban Treaty, according to a statement by the President of the 22nd Meeting of States Parties, Ambassador Ichikawa Tomiko, Permanent Representative of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament.
In accordance with Article 20 of the Convention, the withdrawal will take effect six months after the UN Depository receives the formal instrument of withdrawal. These withdrawals mark an unprecedented retreat from a landmark humanitarian disarmament agreement that has saved countless lives since its adoption in 1997. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) strongly denounces these countries’ decision to abandon long-established global norms designed to “put an end to the suffering and casualties caused by anti-personnel mines.”
“The purpose of international humanitarian instruments like the Mine Ban Treaty is to place limits on the means and methods of war if ever a state is involved in armed conflict,” said Tamar Gabelnick, ICBL Director. “It therefore shows remarkably bad faith to walk away from such commitments the day conflict may actually be on the horizon.”
The Mine Ban Treaty, currently endorsed by 166 countries, prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of antipersonnel landmines and requires States Parties to assist victims and clear mined areas. These withdrawals strike at the heart of a treaty that has dramatically reduced landmine use and stigmatized a weapon banned because of its indiscriminate nature and its devastating impact on civilians even decades after conflicts end.
The three European Union member states justified their renewed embrace of antipersonnel mines by citing heightened regional security concerns and a need to better protect their borders. These justifications stand in stark contrast to the overwhelming global consensus that the humanitarian cost of landmines far outweighs any perceived tactical advantage. Evidence from past use and modern breaching equipment shows that border minefields can be breached in minutes, while use of AP mines in other areas endangers and limits tactical mobility of an army’s own soldiers.
The three states had collectively signaled their intentions earlier in 2025, with parliamentary votes following in recent weeks. Today’s coordinated mass exit represents the first time any country has withdrawn from the Mine Ban Treaty since its entry into force, and only the second time a country has withdrawn from a treaty banning an entire category of weapons. Lithuania decided to leave the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2024, citing the same security concerns. The governments of Finland and Poland have also decided to leave the Mine Ban Treaty but have not yet given formal notification to States Parties or the United Nations.
On 29 June, Ukrainian President Zelensky signed a decree announcing it would also leave the Mine Ban Treaty, but the treaty prohibits the withdrawal of any State Party engaged in armed conflict. Ukraine has already suffered greatly from massive use of antipersonnel mines by Russia, and leaving the convention may threaten its ability to attract funding for demining operations.
The withdrawing countries have claimed that they will still uphold humanitarian principles even after walking away from a treaty designed precisely to protect civilians. The ICBL notes that such claims are deeply misleading. It is not possible to use an inherently indiscriminate weapon in a manner that respects the principle of distinction required by international humanitarian law, and the horrific injuries caused by the weapon violate the principle of proportionality.
“Antipersonnel mines are obsolete weapons that should not be part of a modern arsenal. These highly ‘unintelligent’ arms lie blindly and patiently underground until the first person comes along to set them off, which is almost always a civilian, and far too often a child,” said Dejan Ivkov, a landmine survivor and ICBL campaigner from Assistance Advocacy Access-Serbia.
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) warns that these decisions risk undoing decades of progress and weakening international norms that protect civilians from indiscriminate weapons. The ICBL has repeatedly called on these states to stay in the treaty, noting that a robust capacity for self-defense can be built without resorting to the use of antipersonnel mines.
“A country’s security should not depend on a weapon that kills and maims mostly civilians. There is still time to come back to the table and work collectively toward solutions that enhance security without sacrificing humanitarian norms,” said Gabelnick.
END
Background
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a global civil society coalition of hundreds of organizations working for a world without landmines. In 1997, the ICBL was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with its founding coordinator Jody Williams. The campaign includes national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across many disciplines including demining, human rights, development, refugee issues, and medical and humanitarian relief.
Additional Information
Why the World Banned Antipersonnel Mines
Illegal: Violate international humanitarian law, cannot distinguish between combatant and civilian.
Civilians = Main Victims: 85% of victims are civilians. 40% are children.
Enduring Harm: Mines stay active for decades, long after wars end.
Limited Military Value: Far outweighed by their humanitarian consequences.
About the Mine Ban Convention
Adopted in 1997, also known as the Ottawa Treaty
Bans use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of antipersonnel mines
Built through unprecedented partnership between states, civil society (ICBL), ICRC, and UN
165 countries are onboard, including every EU and NATO member except the U.S.
Led to a dramatic reduction in global landmine casualties, production, transfer, and use; advanced clearance of mined areas (30 countries became mine-free), and increased support for landmine victims
Current users: Russia, Myanmar, North Korea, Iran
Useful Links
www.icblcmc.org/about-icbl
Landmine Monitor 2024 Report
Nobel Laureates Back the Ban on Antipersonnel Landmines
Joint Appeal to Uphold the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-personnel Landmines and the Convention on Cluster Munitions
Banner on Broken Chair Protests Baltic States' Withdrawal from Mine Ban Treaty
Contact Details
Charles Bechara, Media & Communications Manager
International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)
Email: charles@icblcmc.org
Tel. +41 78 323 51 44
Tamar Gabelnick , Director
International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)
Email: tamar@icblcmc.org
Tel. +41 78 323 51 44