Palau

In April 2019, the Governor of Peleliu – the only Palauan State in the Second World War where a prolonged ground battle took place – issued an official statement declaring that “Peleliu State believes the presence of anti-personnel (AP) landmines has been eradicated from our state.” The Governor further noted that, “Cleared Ground’s local teams from Peleliu have been systematically surveying and clearing ERW [explosive remnants of war] across Peleliu Island for almost 10 years now with funding from many countries including Palau, and of the hundreds of caves, no known cave has gone unchecked for AP landmines. In May 2018, Palau’s 10 year treaty deadline to be free of AP mines was met, and continuing ERW surveys have found no AP landmine since.” Statement by the Governor of Peleliu, regarding “The status of presence of anti-personnel land mines within the territorial boundaries of the state of Peleliu”, 1 April 2019. Mine Action Review has, as a consequence, deleted Palau from the list of mine-affected states parties with outstanding Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) Article 5 obligations.

• Palau should submit an APMBC Article 7 transparency report confirming there are no mined areas under its jurisdiction or control suspected to contain anti-personnel mines.

Click here to download the "Clearing the Mines 2019" report for Palau.