International Treaties on Landmines

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INHUMANE WEAPONS CONVENTION (Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects):

It is a Multilateral agreement prohibiting the use of certain conventional weapons, opened for signature on 10 April 1981 and entered into force on 2 December 1983. 

The Inhumane Weapons Convention comprises three Protocols. 

Protocol I prohibits the use of any weapon designed to injure by fragments which in the human body are undetectable by x-rays. 

Protocol II prohibits the indiscriminate use of landmines, booby-traps and other similar devices, as well as their use against civilians or civilian populations. Mines may only be placed in the vicinity of enemy objectives and civilians must be adequately protected from their effects. Booby-traps may not be disguised as harmless objects. States parties are required to record the location of emplaced landmines and booby-traps, to protect United Nations forces by disclosing the location of minefields and booby-traps in the area, and, following the cessation of hostilities, to cooperate in their removal.

 Protocol III bans the use of incendiary weapons against civilian populations or objects, and their delivery by air against military objectives located within civilian concentrations. The Convention does not provide for any verification provisions. 

At the first Review Conference of the Inhumane Weapons Convention held in 1995 and 1996, Protocol II of the Convention was amended and Protocol IV was added. The amended Protocol II broadens the restrictions applicable to the use of landmines, and of anti-personnel mines in particular. The latter may only be used if equipped with a self-deactivation or self destruction mechanism, or if several stringent criteria designed to protect civilians are met. 

The added Protocol IV prohibits the use of laser weapons specifically designed to cause permanent blindness to the naked eye. In December 2001, at the Second Review Conference of the States parties to the Convention, the scope of the Inhumane Weapons Convention was extended to include internal conflicts. Furthermore, the parties agreed to establish a Group of Governmental Experts to address the control of explosive remnants of war (ERW) and anti-vehicle mines. 





OTTAWA CONVENTION/OTTAWA TREATY (Convention On the Prohibition Of The Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and On Their Destruction):

It is a Multilateral treaty banning the use, production, acquisition, stockpiling, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines as well as the assistance or encouragement of others to engage in such activities. Parties to the Convention are to clear existing minefields within ten years following the entry into force of the Treaty, and to destroy all their anti-personnel mines. 

Minefields are those areas under the jurisdiction or control of a party in which mines are known or suspected to exist. Such areas must be marked, monitored, and protected until all landmines are removed and destroyed. 

Parties are also urged to assist one another in fulfilling their obligations under the Convention. Implementation of the Convention is verified through annual declarations submitted by the parties to the Secretary-General of the United Nations detailing the fulfilment of their obligations under the Convention and through provisions for clarification requests and fact-finding missions. 

The Landmine Monitor, an annual report compiled by an international collection of civil society groups and individuals, also contributes to verifying that parties are complying with their obligations. The Convention entered into force on 1 March 1999, it is of unlimited duration and withdrawal requires six months prior notification. For a party involved in armed conflict, withdrawal takes effect only after the end of the conflict.

https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-5&chapter=26&clang=_en

https://www.un.org/disarmament/the-convention-on-certain-conventional-weapons/#:~:text=The%20Convention%20on%20Prohibitions%20or,known%20as%20the%20Inhumane%20Weapons

https://www.un.org/disarmament/anti-personnel-landmines-convention/#:~:text=The%201997%20Convention%20on%20the,Anti%2DPersonnel%20Mine%20Ban%20Treaty.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/explained-what-is-the-controversial-butterfly-mine-russia-used-in-ukraine-8083177/

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