Landmines Treaty

PWOnlyIAS

April 05, 2025

Landmines Treaty

NATO members Poland, Finland, and the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) have announced plans to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel landmines.

Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention, 1997

  • About: It is an international agreement aimed at eliminating the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.
    • Commonly known as the Ottawa Convention or Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty.
    • It includes provisions to assist victims, many of whom have lost limbs and suffer from other permanent disabilities.

About Anti-Personnel Landmines

  • Anti-personnel landmines are generally hidden in the ground and designed to detonate automatically when someone steps on them or passes nearby.
  • Purpose: To target enemy personnel (troops) and to destroy or disable armored vehicles.
  • More than 80% of mine victims are civilians, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

  • Adopted: 18th September 1997 at the Diplomatic Conference in Oslo.
  • Came into Effect: 1st March 1999.
  • Scope
    • Prohibits anti-personnel mines only.
    • Does not cover anti-vehicle or anti-tank mines.
  • Obligation: Signatories were required to destroy all anti-personnel landmine stockpiles within four years of joining.
  • Current Parties: 165 States (as of March 2025).
  • Non-Parties: India, US, Russia, China, Pakistan have not signed or ratified the treaty.
  • India’s Stance: 
    • Security Threats: Porous borders and ongoing insurgencies necessitate landmines for defense.

Countries Exiting the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention

  • All European countries bordering Russia except Norway have announced plans to withdraw from the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.
    • Norway maintains its commitment to the treaty, emphasizing the importance of upholding the stigma against landmines.

Reasons for Exiting the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention

  • Security Concerns Due to Russian Threat: Countries like Poland, Finland, and the Baltic states fear increased military aggression from Russia. They believe landmines could be a crucial defense tool in the event of invasion or conflict.
  • Strategic Military Parity: Exiting countries argue that remaining in the treaty puts them at a military disadvantage compared to nations that still use or stockpile landmines.
  • Preparation for Escalation in Ukraine Conflict: Some nations fear that if the Russia-Ukraine war pauses, Russia could use the time to rearm and target neighbouring countries.

Impact of Exit from the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention

  • Weakens Global Norms: Multiple European countries quitting erodes the international stigma around landmines.
    • Along with this, US funding cuts (once $300 million/year, 40% of global support) have caused major declines in mine clearance efforts, per the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
  • Rising Civilian Harm: Over 80% of victims are civilians; Ukraine had 1,286 civilian casualties by August 2024 and is now the most mined country, per the UN.
  • Resumption of Mine Production: Exiting countries will be able to start producing, using, stockpiling, and transferring landmines once again.
    • Example: Poland plans to restart landmine production; Lithuania may also exit the 2008 Cluster Munitions Convention.
    • The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) is an international treaty that prohibits all use, transfer, production, and stockpiling of cluster munitions, a type of explosive weapons that release smaller submunitions over a vast area.

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Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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