Holy See urges nations to ratify UN anti-landmine convention

Archbishop Ettore Balestrero. Image ACN

Source: Vatican Media

Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See's Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva, has appealed to nations to ratify the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention, upholding the link between development and disarmament.

Speaking on Friday at the 2025 Intersessional Meeting of the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention, Archbishop Balestrero expressed the Holy See's congratulations to the Marshall Islands for their recent ratification of the landmine treaty, known as the Ottowa Convention, which was first proposed in Oslo in 1997 and entered into force in 1999. Archbishop Balestrero said the Convention has the potential to greatly assist victims of landmines and prevent further casualties, but he added: "The Holy See is deeply concerned about the intention of certain States Parties to withdraw from the Convention.. It calls upon all States that are not yet party to this noble legal instrument to adhere to it urgently and implement it promptly, in both letter and spirit."

According to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), anti-personnel landmines - and anti-vehicle landmines, not covered under the Ottowa Convention - have caused "great suffering in the past decades and continue to kill and injure civilians and by-standers long after conflicts have ended."

The Convention has led to the destruction of over 40 million stockpiled landmines and greatly reduced the number of casualties.

Archbishop Balestrero said the Ottowa Convention places the human person at the center, establishing "a clear link between disarmament and development."

He lamented the numerous reports each year that detail the deaths caused by explosive remnants of war, of which a significant portion are children who suffer life-changing injuries and trauma.

"Existing disarmament treaties represent not only legal obligations, but also moral commitments to present and future generations," he said.

Rather than promoting weakness among states, said the Archbishop, adherence to international law and disarmament treaties are really "an enduring source of strength and responsibility towards all of humanity."

The Holy See's representative at the UN in Geneva decried the vast amounts of money that go to military spending and armaments, over $2.7 trillion in 2024, calling it "a grave imbalance and even scandal."

He highlighted the contrast of military spending with the limited resources dedicated to social assistance, food security, and promoting integral human development.

"This makes it clear that no peace is possible without true disarmament," he said, "and the requirement that every people provide for its own defence must not turn into a race to rearmament."

Archbishop Balestrero concluded by inviting all nations to "return to reason and dialogue," employing all the tools of diplomacy to prevent escalation and destabilization.

"The Holy See therefore reiterates its appeal to promote a culture of peace and life, and to preserve the integrity of the Convention, remaining fully confident that the sanctity of human life as well as the inherent and inviolable God-given dignity of the human person will continue to inspire its implementation."