Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland will lead efforts to backup a major conference that opens 29 November in Colombia, the Cartagena summit on a mine-free world. The conference marks the 10th anniversary of the Ottawa Treaty entering into force and provides the opportunity for its second review conference to assess progress and how well the convention is being respected.
States that join the AP Mine Ban Convention created by the Treaty are required to never use landmines again and to provide assistance to the survivors. High-level ministers and heads of states are expected to participate, from the 156 States that are party to the Convention.
The United States and Cuba are the only two countries in the Americas not party to the Convention. Other countries with large stockpiles that have not joined are China, India, North Korea, Pakistan and Russia. China has announced it will attend as an observer.
The Convention has so far facilitated the destruction of more than 41 million mines and helped millions of survivors across the world.
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News story, GenevaLunch, 22 October 2009.
Filed under: International organizations
Tags: AP Mine Ban Convention, Cartagena summit, China, Cuba, demining, Geneva, India, landmines, North Korea, Ottawa Treaty, Pakistan, Swiss news, U.S.