Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 1271st meeting on the Commemoration of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, held on Tuesday, 1 April 2025.
The Peace and Security Council,
Recalling its previous decisions and pronouncements on the Commemoration of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, particularly Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1146 (2023)] adopted at its 1146th meeting, held on 3 April 2023;
Also recalling Article 7.1(n) of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), which empowers the PSC to promote and encourage the implementation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU)/AU, United Nations (UN) and other relevant international Conventions and Treaties on arms control and disarmament; as well as the AU Mine Action and Explosives Remnants of War Strategic Framework (2014-2017);
Highlighting the critical importance of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) also known as the Ottawa Convention, the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in strengthening and upholding the norms against explosive weapons on the Continent;
Faithful to Resolution [CM/Res 1593] on the “UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and Problems Posed by the Proliferation of Anti-Personnel Mines in Africa”, adopted at the 62nd Ordinary Session of the OAU Council of Ministers, in June 1995, which, inter alia, called for the total ban of anti-personnel landmines and the universalization of the relevant legally binding instruments, and endorsed measures to address the impact of landmines and the developments that led to the adoption of the Common African Positions on landmines; and also faithful to Decision [CM/Dec.363 (LXVI)] adopted by the 66th Ordinary Session of the OAU Council of Ministers, in May 1997, in Harare, Zimbabwe;
Taking Note of the opening remarks by H.E. Ambassador Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uganda to the African Union as Stand-In- Chairperson of the PSC for April 2025 and the introductory remarks by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; also Taking Note of the presentation by Ms. Rania Machlab, the Head of Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to the African Union, the statements by the representatives of AU Member States, the statements by the representatives of the Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms and the European Union; and
