Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia[*], Montenegro^*, Ukraine and Republic of Moldova and the potential candidate countries Bosnia and Herzegovina^* and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.

I wish to begin by congratulating you on assuming the Presidency of this Annual Conference of Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War. I assure you of the EU’s full support and cooperation.

Explosive remnants of war (ERW) remain a legacy threat from armed conflict, posing a lasting hazard to civilians long after hostilities cease. ERW significantly delays reconstruction efforts and impede socio-economic development. The high number of casualties reported in more than 30 countries, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Ukraine and Yemen, is a matter of deep concern. Children, in particular, are vulnerable to the threat of ERW.

The European Union and its Member States remain fully committed to Protocol V, its objectives and its goal of addressing the problem of unexploded and abandoned explosive ordnance and minimising the serious post-conflict impact of ERW on civilians. We also note that the explosive remnants of war can have severe effects on the environment. The EU would like to express strong support for all efforts to strengthen this important instrument, to promote its universalisation, and to enhance its implementation in order to eradicate the grave threat posed by unexploded and abandoned ordnance.

In this context, the EU welcomes the Philippines in the CCW Protocol V as its 97th High Contracting Party. We call upon all countries that have not yet done so to join this Protocol.

The EU attaches the utmost importance to transparency and confidence building in the implementation of Protocol V. We encourage all High Contracting Parties to complete detailed annual reports to promote the work of Protocol V on key issues such as survey, clearance, recording, retention and transmission of information.

Mr. President,

Russia's unjustifiable, unprovoked and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine is of direct relevance to this Protocol. Russia is using explosive weapons in populated areas, including cluster munitions, to target residential buildings, critical infrastructure, hospitals, and vital power and water supplies, which causes unspeakable harm and suffering for civilians. Russia, bears full responsibility for the loss of life, the human suffering and all the indiscriminate destruction it causes in Ukraine. Russia is not respecting the principles and obligations of IHL, including Protocol V.

The EU continues with determination to support Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and urges Russia to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.

The European Union firmly stands with Ukraine and will continue to provide strong economic, military, social and financial support to Ukraine for as long as it takes, including with respect to the clearance of ERW. This includes specific projects on clearing ERW, including anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions as well as in victim assistance and rehabilitation. We encourage all other High Contracting Parties in a position to do so, to follow this example as required by this Protocol as well as the relevant articles of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

The EU actively supports the work of the International Criminal Court in ensuring accountability for the most serious international crimes.

Mr. President,

The European Union reaffirms its commitments to continue to provide assistance to save lives and to bring tangible benefits for communities in affected areas, creating new opportunities for growth and stability. The EU contributes towards this through its commitment to mine action, which also addresses ERW. For the EU, victim assistance remains a core component of its mine action assistance. We reaffirm that for victim assistance efforts to be sustainable in the long term, they need to be integrated into broader disability policies.

As the world’s leading humanitarian donor, the EU and its Member States continue to provide significant funding to mine action, especially in the fields of risk education, clearance, stockpile destruction, and victim assistance.. The assistance provided by the EU in 2021 amounts to more than 87 million Euro, contributing to various programmes in 20 mine affected countries, such as the recent projects in Armenia and Azerbaijan (risk education, victim assistance and mine clearance), Colombia (mine clearance and rehabilitation of former combatants), Libya, Somalia, Ukraine and Yemen. Another 90 million Euro has been allocated for 2022 and 2023. 

In conclusion, the EU is also fully committed to mainstreaming a gender perspective into all non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control work in line with Resolution 1325 of the Security Council of the United Nations, including through promoting women’s participation and providing integrated support.

Thank you, Mr. President.

[*] North Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.