4 July 2025
The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining regrets Ukraine's recent announcement to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC), following earlier similar decisions by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
We are aware that the major security threats which the region has been facing since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine have prompted these decisions.
The APMBC prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines and requires their destruction. It was adopted to end the disproportionate and indiscriminate impact of landmines on millions of lives. It is an important part of the broader system of international humanitarian law.
Decisions to withdraw from such a framework risk undermining the shared commitments that underpin the protection of civilians. We urge all our partners to reaffirm their commitment to the Convention and the principles it embodies. Protecting civilians in times of armed conflict must remain our collective duty.
For more than a decade, the GICHD has been working closely with Ukrainian authorities to enhance national mine action capacities. In our continuous partnership with Ukraine, it remains our priority to protect civilians from any harm caused by anti-personnel landmines or other explosive ordnance.