Rights Group Praises First UN Resolution on Landmines

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has lauded the UN Human Rights Council’s first resolution on anti-personnel landmines, passed on April 4, Jurist News reported. The resolution urges countries to cooperate in addressing the effects of landmines and to educate about their dangers. It emphasizes coordinated efforts to meet the needs of mine survivors, particularly children, within disability legal frameworks. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will prepare a comprehensive report on the issue.

The resolution comes as some governments consider withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, ratified by 165 countries in 1997, which mandates the destruction of stockpiled anti-personnel mines. HRW emphasizes that anti-personnel mines violate international humanitarian law due to their indiscriminate nature, noting that civilians accounted for 84% of landmine casualties in 2023, with children comprising 37% of casualties where age was recorded. HRW welcomes the UN’s move towards addressing the humanitarian impact of these weapons.