UNITED NATIONS, June 16 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday voiced his grave concern over recent announcements and steps taken by several countries to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

Poland, Finland, and the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have recently announced their intentions to withdraw from the convention.

"These announcements are particularly troubling, as it risks weakening civilian protection and undermining two decades of a normative framework that has saved countless lives," said Guterres in a statement. "I urge all states to adhere to humanitarian disarmament treaties and immediately halt any steps toward their withdrawal."

He also appealed to the 32 states that have yet to join the convention to do so.

Guterres said he intends to launch a global campaign to accelerate mine action and drive forward the vision of a mine-free world. ■