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Action against antipersonnel mines
Introduction
The member states of the Organization of American States have adopted the
goal of global elimination of antipersonnel land mines to convert the Western Hemisphere
into an antipersonnel-land-mine-free zone. As regards the mine-clearing programs, in 1992,
the Organization created the Mine-Clearing
Program in Central America (PADCA) in response to a request by the Central American states
(Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua) affected by the presence of antipersonnel
land mines. Lately, in response to requests from Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
this Program was converted into the
Comprehensive
Action against Antipersonnel Mines (AICMA) to support a broad range
of activities and operating under a number of
General Assembly
mandates.
The overall program coordination is handled by the Department of
Multidimensional Security of the OAS General Secretariat (Office
of Humanitarian Mine Action), which also seeks financial contributions
from the international community. The
Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) provides technical assistance
through international monitors or supervisors in countries in the affected
zones.
T he
Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, through its Committee on Hemispheric Security with
support from the above mentioned Offices of the General Secretariat, and
as a confidence- and security-building measure, implement a complete and
integrated
register of antipersonnel land mines
based on the information provided each year by member states on the approximate number of
antipersonnel land mines in their stockpiles, the number of antipersonnel land mines that
have been removed during the past year, plans for clearance of the remaining land mines,
and any other pertinent information.
The
Organization of American States, through AG/RES.
1794 (XXXI-O/01), urges the member states that
have not yet signed or ratified the
Convention
on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel
Mines and on Their Destruction (Ottawa Convention) to consider doing
at the earliest possible date. Those that have already signed the Convention are called
upon to report to the General Secretariat on the status of their ratification process.
The
Ottawa Convention entered into force on March 1, 1999. To date, 33 OAS member states have signed the Convention
and 30 have ratified it. The Ottawa Treaty is maintained and updated by the
organization SafeLane Passage of
the Department
of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada.
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4/18/2024