Young Voices for Disarmament: The Experience of Activist Maria Magalhães at the 22nd Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty, 2025

Between December 1 and 5, Maria Clara de Magalhães, a member of Dhesarme, participated in the “22nd Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Eradication of Landmines,” in Geneva.

In this interview, the young activist shared with us her experience over five days at the Palais des Nations, highlighting her achievements and underscoring the challenges of events like this, as well as the impacts on her development as a young activist:

“A very emotional moment was realizing how far our work, as civil society actors, can go. You could really see our importance in that space, and it showed that we can indeed be agents of change.”

During those days, Maria had a schedule full of mentorship meetings, advocacy trainings, engagement with delegations, as well as several lectures and meetings with members of other organizations that contributed to her development. She also had the opportunity to meet other young activists who, in different areas of work, serve as inspiration in continuing her trajectory of activism for Humanitarian Disarmament, especially regarding landmines.

“It was far beyond what I had imagined. Being at the United Nations is already, in itself, something very emotional—it was the fulfillment of a dream—but everything we experienced throughout the week was even more special and enriching for my development as an activist.”

Maria also emphasized that the Meeting was a challenging experience. Considering the current context, seeing countries withdrawing from the Treaty or requesting its suspension in an unlawful manner, while alarming data updates were being presented—showing that, in 90% of cases, landmine victims are civilians and children—highlighted, for her, the contradictions in discourses that, by generating chain effects, end up dismantling a process built with so much effort.

“Although they claim to care about the protection of civilians, many times they merely simulate it. Some of these countries even declare that they do not intend to use landmines in their conflicts, which makes their withdrawal even more ironic.”

When asked about what it is like to be a young activist for landmine disarmament today, Maria points out that, despite many challenges, important advances have been taking place.

The participation of civil society in these spaces demonstrates significant progress; however, the current context, marked by funding cuts, directly impacts coalitions and their essential actions—such as demining and risk education—hindering a framework that is crucial for the protection of civilians worldwide. It is an equation with only one possible outcome: an increase in victims, the recurrence of forced displacement, and the weakening of efforts to maintain the safety of children, who are heavily affected by the indiscriminate nature of such weapons.

Contrary to any pessimism, new accessions to the Treaty—such as those of the Kingdom of Tonga and the Marshall Islands—as well as positive movements from countries like Micronesia and Lebanon, show that Humanitarian Disarmament remains a relevant and urgent agenda.

Maria concludes with a call to action:

“My message to other young people and activists is that our role has never been more necessary. In 2025, a year when the world had hoped to be free from anti-personnel mines, we are still far from that reality. We continue to face significant challenges in curbing their use, ensuring compliance with Treaty obligations, and, above all, protecting people from their impacts. In a scenario where around 90% of victims are civilians and half are children, there is no time or space for disengagement. On the contrary, this is an urgent call to strengthen commitment and collective action. Every voice matters, every initiative counts, and the role of young people has enormous transformative potential. It is essential that young people around the world engage, apply pressure, and encourage their countries—especially those that are not yet signatories—to join the Treaty. Likewise, it is crucial to mobilize resistance against setbacks, such as the withdrawal of States that were already committed.”

Written by: Kamilly Rosa

Reviewed by: Fernando Fiala