What is the Anti-Personnel (AP) Mine Ban Convention?
- This is the short reference to the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, also known as the Ottawa Convention.
- The Convention is the international community’s comprehensive response to the humanitarian problems caused by anti-personnel mines, weapons that are indiscriminate and that last for decades after conflicts have ended.
- The Convention was adopted in Oslo on 18 September 1997 and opened for signature in Ottawa on 3 and 4 December 1997 at a ceremony that featured the participation of dozens of world leaders.
- For their determination in calling for the Convention, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and its coordinator Jody Williams were awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.
- The Convention entered into force on 1 March 1999.
- The Convention’s first five-year review, the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World, was held in the Kenyan capital from 29 November to 3 December 2004. At that event, the Nairobi Action Plan 2005-2009 was adopted at a high political level.
What is the purpose of the Convention?
- The purpose of the Convention is “to put an end to the suffering and casualties caused by anti-personnel (AP) mines” through the pursuit of four core aims
- Universal acceptance of a ban on AP mines
- Destruction of stockpiled AP mines
- Clearance of mined areas
- Assistance to mine victims.
How many countries have joined?
156 States have ratified or have acceded to the Convention. They include:
- Most of the States that at one time used, stockpiled, produced or transferred AP mines.
- The vast majority of States that are or have been affected by AP mines.
- Every State in the Americas, except Cuba and the United States.
- Every State in sub-Saharan Africa, except Somalia.
- Every Member State of the European Union, except Finland and Poland
Information as of 4 November 2009