Oslo, 18 September 1997
Objectives
The Convention aims to ban outright and mandate the destruction of
anti-personnel mines in order to put an end to the suffering and casualties
caused by these weapons.
Key Provisions
Under this Convention, each State party undertakes never under any circumstances
to use anti-personnel mines; to develop, produce or otherwise acquire,
stockpile, retain or transfer to anyone, directly or indirectly anti-personnel
mines; and to assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any
activity prohibited to a State party.
Each State party undertakes to destroy or ensure the destruction of all
stockpiled anti-personnel mines it owns or possesses, or that are under its
jurisdiction or control not later than four years after entry into force of the
Convention, and to destroy mines in mined areas not later than ten years after
that date. In a case where a State party is unable to destroy all its
anti-personnel mines, it may submit a request for an extension of the
deadline.
The Convention makes an exception to the general obligation not to retain or transfer anti-personnel mines to anyone and States are permitted to retain or transfer a number of anti-personnel mines for the development of and training in mine detection, mine clearance, or mine destruction techniques and to transfer anti-personnel mines for destruction.
States parties undertake to facilitate and have the right to participate in the
fullest possible exchange of relevant equipment, material and technological
information and, if in a position to do so, to provide assistance for the care,
rehabilitation and social and economic reintegration of mine victims, for mine
clearance and related activities and for stockpile destruction. They also may
request assistance in the elaboration of a national de-mining programme.
States parties undertake a number of transparency measures. They are required to
submit a report to the Secretary-General not later than 180 days after entry
into force of the Convention, and updated annually thereafter, on their national
implementation measures, their stockpiles, the location of all mined areas, the
types and quantity of all anti-personnel mines retained or transferred, status
of programmes for conversion and for destruction of stockpiles and of mines in
mined areas, mines destroyed after entry into force, technical characteristics
of mines and measures to warn the population.
Instead of a verification regime involving on-site challenge inspections, States
parties adopted a facilitation and clarification of compliance procedure.
The Convention also requires each State party to undertake to take all
appropriate legal, administrative and other measures to prevent and suppress any
activity prohibited under the Convention by persons or on territory under its
jurisdiction or control.