Poland, Finland, and the Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—are preparing to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, also known as the Mine Ban Treaty, citing growing military threats from Russia.
Key Highlights
- The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, typically referred to as the “Ottawa Convention” or “Mine Ban Treaty.”
- It was opened for signature on December 3, 1997, and it entered into force on March 1, 1999.
- The 1997 Ottawa Convention aims to eliminate anti-personnel landmines (APLs) by banning their use, production, stockpiling, and transfer.
- Currently, 164 countries are party to the treaty, representing over 80% of the world’s nations. However, Russia, the U.S., China, India, and Israel are among those that have not signed or ratified it.
- Anti-personnel landmines are indiscriminate weapons, often buried underground and triggered by pressure or proximity.
- According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), over 80% of mine victims are civilians, many of whom are maimed or killed long after conflicts end.
- The convention includes measures for victim assistance, and signatory countries were required to destroy all stockpiles within four years—a target that has seen uneven compliance.
- The potential withdrawal of these NATO countries could undermine a major pillar of post–Cold War disarmament and reintroduce the use of landmines in modern warfare. It also threatens to reverse hard-won progress by humanitarian organizations campaigning against the devastating long-term impact of landmines.
