Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention

Intersessional Meeting

Geneva, 17-20 June 2025

EU Statement on Victim Assistance

Mr. Chair, 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU) and its Member States. 

The candidate countries Türkiye, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova^[1], as well as the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

Mr. Chair,

The European Union would like to thank the members of the Committee on Victim Assistance for your work, and for the update on your activities.

The EU has been resolutely engaged in supporting mine victims and persons with disabilities through its policies and assistance for decades.

As long as anti-personnel mines, including those of an improvised nature and explosive remnants of war, continue to affect the lives of millions of civilians across the world, the EU will continue to engage and to support victims and survivors. We recognise the social, economic and developmental impact of these weapons, and we will continue to work on victim assistance towards achieving a mine-free world. Since 2023, the EU has remained a major donor to mine action across the globe, having contributed over 180 million EUR to humanitarian mine action, including 27 million EUR specifically for victim assistance.

On April 14^th, 2025, the EU reaffirmed its continuous financial support to the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Convention by adopting Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/781[2], allocating 2.7 million EUR to the ISU for 2025-2029 to contribute to the full implementation of the Siem Reap-Angkor Action Plan, including victim assistance commitments under actions 30 to 39. The EU commends the ISU for its continued efforts in this regard.

 Mr. Chair,

The EU has been and continues to be engaged in support of mine victims, survivors and persons with disabilities through its policies and assistance. 

We support full, equal, effective, and non-discriminatory participation of mine victims and survivors in society. Furthermore, we will continue to provide sustained and continuous assistance to victims in order to fulfil their rights in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and strengthen synergies with this important instrument. In this regard, mainstreaming a gender perspective into mine action work, supporting the efforts of stakeholders, and taking into consideration the diverse needs and experiences of people in affected communities for their humanitarian mine action policies remains a top priority for the EU.

We support States Parties in developing clear, measurable victim assistance plans and promoting international and regional cooperation with civil society to build sustainable capacities, while ensuring meaningful participation of affected communities in all matters that affect them. In this matter, the EU will support regional and national stakeholder dialogues, as well as expert meetings to advance victim assistance in line with the Siem Reap-Angkor Action Plan. 

 Mr. Chair,

The EU encourages the development of policies to best assist mine victims and survivors in a non-discriminatory manner, addressing the specific needs of all and leaving no one behind. We also encourage commitments by all States Parties to fully implement their obligations under the Convention, including by taking appropriate assistance measures beyond mine clearance, when they are in a position to do so, to ensure social and economic rehabilitation of mine victims and survivors.

We underline the necessity to provide context-specific emergency medical care and early rehabilitation services to new casualties that are both effective and efficient. We must continue to improve national capacities through training and risk education and ensure that mine and other explosive ordnance survivors, as well as affected families and communities, have access to psychological and psychosocial support services in line with the Siem Reap-Angkor Action Plan.

 Mr. Chair,

Let me conclude that, as long as there are victims and survivors, the EU will provide them with sustained assistance in order to fulfil their rights. We encourage all international stakeholders to continue to provide funding to and support capacity-building in States Parties with reported mine victims. We call on all States Parties to intensify their efforts and to implement fully the actions of the Siem Reap-Angkor Action Plan.

 Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[1] North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

[2] Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/781 of 14 April 2025 in support of the Siem Reap-Angkor Action Plan for the implementation of the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction.