Eleven years ago, members of the Ottawa treaty banning the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of antipersonnel mines agreed a deadline for completing their obligations: 2025.

The ambitious timeline reflected the immense progress made since the pact was signed in 1997. Back then, 25,000 people were killed or injured each year by landmines; by 2013, that number had fallen to 3,300. Tens of millions of mines have been destroyed, and by last year, 164 countries had committed themselves to the agreement.

Progress, however, has now gone into sharp reverse. In October 2024, the United Nations reported that Ukraine had become the most mined country in the world after the invasion by Russia, which is not a party to the Ottawa treaty; both........

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