Ottawa Convention

Current Context: Poland, Finland, and the three Baltic states have announced plans to withdraw from the 1997 Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines, citing increased security concerns due to Russia.

About

• Official Name: Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction
• Adopted: 1997 (Oslo), Opened for signature in Ottawa
• Came into Force: 1 March 1999
• Objective: To ban anti-personnel landmines and ensure their destruction

Impact:

• Over 40 million stockpiled mines destroyed
• Support for mine survivors and clearance of contaminated areas
• Led to decline in landmine-related casualties