Press Releases
Video Message from Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI at the Tenth Annual Pledging Conference for the Implementation of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention
March 13, 2025
On March 12 (March 12, CET), the Tenth Annual Pledging Conference for the Implementation of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention was held in Geneva, Switzerland, and Ms. ERI Arfiya, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs made a video message (PDF)
. The key points made are as follows:
- This conference was held at the initiative of ICHIKAWA Tomiko, Ambassador of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament and the President of the Twenty-Second Meeting of the States Parties (22MSP) of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention for 2025.
- In her video message, Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI stated that the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) plays a pivotal role in supporting the implementation of the Convention by States Parties, and that Japan is currently in the process of domestic procedures to contribute approximately 14,000 CHF to the ISU this year.
- The Sponsorship Program, for which this conference also aimed to raise contributions, is a voluntary contribution program to support the participation of States Parties in the meetings of the Convention, help to broaden the diversity of the participants and expand the number of States Parties (i.e. promote universalization of the Convention). In her video message, Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI announced that Japan contributed 10 million JPY (approximately 65,000 CHF) to the program this year.
- Japan aims to promote its efforts on mine action under the following four priority areas during its Presidency of the 22nd MSP: (1) strengthening national ownership and capacity building assistance; (2) the application of advanced and emerging technologies in mine action; (3) strengthening the synergies between the Women Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and mine action; and (4) universalization.