Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

Intersessional Meeting

Geneva, 17-20 June 2025

EU Statement on International Cooperation and Assistance

Madam Chair,

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

The candidate countries Türkiye, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as well as the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

The EU and its Member States are committed to strengthening cooperation and assistance efforts and facilitating the fostering of partnerships for the effective implementation of the Convention. We acknowledge that mine action is central to stabilising and sustaining peace and security. Since anti-personnel mine contamination impedes socio-economic development, mine action is critical to achieving the objectives set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Pact for the Future. EU assistance covers the whole scope of mine action: clearance, stockpile destruction, victim assistance, risk education, advocacy and capacity building.

The EU recognises that the success of the Convention relies on strong national ownership and international cooperation and assistance. The EU will continue to use all available avenues, at the global, regional, and sub-regional levels, including through high-level engagement, cooperation and assistance, to further promote ratification of and accession to the Convention.

The EU directly supports the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) to assist mine-affected States Parties in setting up dialogues on mine clearance and victim assistance. These dialogues create a platform to exchange information and to strengthen international, regional, trilateral and bilateral coordination and dialogue with stakeholders on progress, challenges, and support for the implementation of the Convention. The EU has provided continuous financial support to the ISU, most recently under Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/781 adopted in April 2025, where EUR 2.7 million was allocated to the ISU for 2025-2029 to contribute to the full implementation of the Siem Reap-Angkor Action Plan and in particular its concrete actions 40 to 45.

Since the Fifth Review Conference, the EU has proudly supported the ISU in strengthening dialogue and cooperation between national authorities, UN agencies, mine action operators and regional organisations – recently, in Viet Nam, through a universalisation and technical mission to Hanoi with ARMAC, and in Zimbabwe, through the National Stakeholder Dialogue on Humanitarian Demining and Victim Assistance. Both initiatives, effectively implemented by ISU, reinforced national ownership, encouraged regional cooperation, and demonstrated the EU’s strong commitment to advancing implementation through partnerships.

The EU encourages parties responsible for the well-being of mine-affected communities and survivors to better address the challenges they face through strengthened dialogue and partnerships. In this regard, the EU fully supports the individualised approach format that the Committee implements in order to give a platform to affected States Parties to present the progress they have made. It also allows for them to present their specific challenges and needs to relevant stakeholders, including donors and mine action operators.

The EU also recognises that cooperation and assistance should be responsive to gender, age, disability, climate, and environmental considerations, among others. International cooperation and assistance should also take into consideration the diverse needs and experiences of people in affected communities, as well as climate change and environmental protection.

In this context, the EU stresses the importance of leveraging synergies between the Women, Peace and Security agenda and the APMBC, as endorsed at the Fifth Review Conference in Siem Reap, particularly in advancing women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in inclusive peace and security efforts. We welcome that promoting such synergies are among the four priorities of Japan’s Presidency. In line with the WPS agenda, the EU supports a gender-responsive approach to victim assistance, clearance, risk education and national ownership under the APMBC.

In conclusion, let me reiterate that the EU and its Member States are committed to mine action and will continue to be dedicated to assisting our partners on the path towards achieving a mine-free world. The EU has remained a major donor to mine action in the world having contributed over 180 million EUR since 2023 to humanitarian mine action, something we are proud to have supported and will continue to do so. We also support innovative approaches in line with the Siem Reap-Angkor Action Plan.

Thank you, Madam Chair.