Ottawa Treaty

The Ottawa Treaty, formally the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, bans the use of anti-personnel landmines. It was the result of a campaign by humanitarian organisations, including the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which, with its coordinator Jody Williams, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997. Many governments, led by Canada, took part in the negotiation, using a fast-track diplomatic process outside the normal United Nations framework. States that join agree to destroy stockpiles, clear mined areas and help victims. A large majority of countries are parties, but the United States, Russia and China have not joined.

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