Landmines, cluster munitions and booby traps lurk in many countries worldwide – in the ground, in hideouts, and sometimes also in inhabited buildings. Conflict parties continue to use these weapons in combat – and are targeting them against civilians to an increasing degree, for example in residential areas, schools and hospitals. That is unacceptable! Thousands of people are killed and injured year after year. Children out playing are affected particularly frequently. I call on all states to prohibit the production and dissemination of cluster munitions and landmines and to accede to the relevant international conventions. There can be no justification for the use of these murderous weapons.

The perfidious thing about such weapons is the fact that mines and booby traps not only kill and injure immediately, but also make it more difficult to return to normality in many places. Even once hostilities have ceased, the threat posed by mines and booby traps often remains for years, even in times of peace. At the same time, this hinders both the work of humanitarian aid workers and the safe return of internally displaced persons and refugees. I expressly call for safe access to be facilitated without any restrictions, also in crisis areas.

In 2017, we marked the 20th anniversary of the Ottawa Convention on a global ban on anti personnel mines. Many states have now signed up to the ban in what has been a genuine success story. However, the entire international community is called upon to act here. A world without landmine victims must be our common goal.