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.