The treaty commits member states to “put an end to the suffering and casualties caused by antipersonnel landmines”. Treaty obligations fall under two broad headings:
- those that prevent future landmine problems e.g. a ban on mine use, production and trade, as well as the destruction of stockpiled mines; and
- those that aim to solve the existing landmine problem e.g. clearance of mined areas, mine risk education and assistance for landmine survivors.
Obligations
State Parties agree to:
- never use antipersonnel mines, nor to “develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer” them;
- destroy mines in their stockpiles within four years of the treaty becoming binding;
- clear mines in their territory, or support efforts to clear mines in mined countries, within 10 years;
- in mine-affected countries, conduct mine awareness and ensure that mine victims are cared for, rehabilitated and reintegrated into their communities;
- offer assistance to other States Parties, for example in providing for survivors or in clearance programmes;
- adopt national implementation measures (such as national legislation) in order to ensure that the terms of the treaty are upheld in their territory.
More
- The treaty text includes a preamble and a total of 22 Articles. It is available in all the UN languages and has also been translated into countless others, from Burmese to Turkish.
- A detailed explanation of the treaty has been produced by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
