OTTAWA CONVENTION (ANTI-PERSONNEL MINE BAN)

Current Context: Finland’s Parliament voted 157–18 to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, following similar moves by Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland.

 ABOUT OTTAWA CONVENTION:

• Genesis : Adopted in 1997 at Oslo/Ottawa; came into force in 1999.
• Objectives : Seeks to ban production, stockpiling, use, and transfer of anti‑personnel mines; mandates destruction of stockpiles and clearing minefields.
• As of March 2025, 165 countries are parties; India is not a member