Mr. President,

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

The Candidate Countries Türkiye, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine and Republic of Moldova and the potential candidate country Bosnia and Herzegovina, align themselves with this declaration.

At this important juncture and in the year of the 25^th anniversary, the EU stands firmly behind the global norm on anti-personnel mines, which has saved countless of lives over the past two decades. We consistently support the universalisation of the Ottawa Convention and call on all States not yet Party to the Convention to adhere as soon as possible or as an interim step to follow a self-declared policy of non-use.

In this regard, we welcome the United States’ announcement of a change in its anti-personnel landmine policy that realigns US policy with most core provisions of the Convention and sets the goal of ultimately joining. This will contribute to the reinforcement of the humanitarian aims of the Ottawa Convention and bring the US to closer alignment with a global humanitarian movement that has demonstrated a positive impact in reducing civilian casualties.

The EU also appreciates the US long-term engagement and funding to assist affected countries in mine action. This assistance is essential in reducing casualty numbers and providing relief for mine victims.

It is of utmost importance that we continue our collective efforts in order to reach the universalisation of this Convention, which has been severely challenged during this year. Through dedicated funding amounting to 2.6 million Euro, the EU has been providing support for actions that support various steps towards full universalisations to bring on board remaining 33 UN Member States. In this regard, we commend Convention’s Special Envoy His Royal Highness Prince Mired of Jordan for continuing the important dialogues and promoting this humanitarian instrument across the world.

We urge other States Parties to increase their collective engagement and outreach efforts to State not Parties, underlining the benefits of joining the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, to use all available avenues to promote ratification of/accession to the Convention by States not party including by encouraging their participation in the work of the Convention, and to continue to promote the universal observance of the Convention’s norms and objectives, thus contributing to international and regional peace and stability, now more impelling than ever considering the current challenging context and intrastate and interstate dynamics.

Thank you, Mr. President.