Youth Statement to the 5th Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty

 Erin Hunt | November 29, 2024

Thank you, Mr. President. Your Royal Highness, your excellencies, delegates, colleagues, friends.

We speak on behalf of 45 Mine Action Fellows present here. Thank you to the Cambodian presidency and our supporters UK, Switzerland and Canada for facilitating our participation her.

This week, we have had the opportunity to learn from each other, fellow campaigners and from you the states. Our meeting with survivors has been one of the most memorable moments.

While a landmine explodes once, its effects are felt long after, impacting survivors and their communities for years. It is essential that we ensure survivors receive the necessary support for recovery and reintegration into society.

Landmines make agriculture, infrastructure, trade, and healing impossible. They poison ecosystems, block access to vital resources, and undermine global progress on climate action by preventing land restoration, renewable energy projects, and reforestation efforts. It is even worse without an intersectional approach that considers gender, diversity and environment as key focuses to address the issue. For example, girls face not only physical scars but also societal marginalization, lacking access to psychosocial support, and increased risk of Gender-Based Violence. While displaced populations and indigenous communities face compounded difficulties.

We have seen again and again the importance of mine action. This is not just about clearing land—it is about clearing paths to dignity, equality, and a future where no one is left behind.

After a week of conversations, side events and plenary, we are left with these questions that remain unanswered:

1. We have heard that the Mine Ban Treaty is a global success story with a strong norm so we wonder why condemning the use of landmines by anyone under any circumstances has become a contentious statement?
2. If submitting your Article 7 transparency report is a clear legal obligation, why does the completion rate remain so low?
3. The emphasis put on victim assistance this year has been fantastic but why is it so difficult to get funding for these needed programs?

As the youth involved in mine action, we are deeply concerned about the use of these deadly and indiscriminate weapons.

The US decision to transfer landmines to Ukraine is testing the norms of this convention. Ukraine has the right to self defense, but it cannot use these weapons in violation of the Mine Ban Treaty.

We call on the US to reverse this decision to transfer antipersonnel mines. Ukraine, as a state party to this convention, do not accept these deadly gifts.

The Siem Reap Angkor Action Plan adopted today will shape our future. As the youngest voices in this room who have seen the effects of landmines, we commit to working with you the states parties to achieve the potential of the Mine Ban Treaty. 

The world has fought for the Mine Ban Treaty so our generation and all those who follow us could enjoy a mine free world, so we call on you all to stay strong so we can realize that potential.

As the future guardians of peace, we demand stronger adherence to international humanitarian law and call for renewed commitment to a world free of anti-personnel mines. The path to peace cannot be paved with weapons designed to maim and kill indiscriminately. The time for decisive action is now.

Thank you.

• About Erin Hunt: Disarming humanitarian, banning landmines, cluster bombs, killer robots & nukes, working @MinesActionCan and loving the fights I lose.