Rappresentanza Permanente d’Italia presso la Conferenza del Disarmo Ginevra

Main Statements

The Treaty banning anti-personnel landmines, also called the Ottawa Treaty, prohibits the use, possession, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines, and provides for the destruction of stockpiles and assistance to victims. Adopted in 1997 and entered into force in 1999,the Treaty has 164 States Parties, including 34 out of the 50 States that produced mines before 1997, and 33 Signatories. However, six major countries remain outside the Convention: China, India, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation and United States. The universalization of the Treaty therefore remains one of the primary objectives for its effective implementation. At present, a matter of growing concern is the continued and frequent use of these weapons by non-state actors, who are also capable of producing them, often in the form of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Ongoing work under the Convention focuses on stockpile destruction, clearance of contaminated areas, transparency measures and, most importantly, victim assistance.

Stockpile destruction: the Convention commits States Parties to destroy all anti-personnel landmines in their possession or control, “as soon as possible” but no later than four years after entry-into-force of the Treaty for the State concerned. The only exception to this rule concerns mines retained for training purposes related to detection, clearance and destruction, which must in any case be kept in very limited numbers. To date, 157 States Parties have completed the destruction of their stockpiles; which collectively amounted to over 47 million mines.

Mine clearance: the Treaty provides for the identification, marking and fencing of of contaminated areas to protect civilians until clearance operations are completed. Total clearance must be finalized within 10 years from the Treaty’s entry into force for the country concerned, with the possibility of extension requests which cannot, in any case, go beyond a further 10 years.

Victim assistance: obligations on victims assistance are central in the Ottawa Convention, the first disarmament treaty to include such provisions. At their core, these obligations require States Parties “in a position to do so” to provide assistance for the care, rehabilitation and social-economic reintegration of mine victims. Such assistance can be delivered through bilateral and multilateral channels. Unfortunately, despite significant investments in this area, available resources are well below what is required to meet the needs of hundreds, if not thousands, of mine survivors in numerous affected countries.

Transparency: in order to ensure a consistent and effective exchange of information, the Convention obliges State Parties to submit annual national reports on the implementation of its provisions, including those relating to national measures (e.g. administrative or legislative), existing stockpiles, contaminated areas and clearance activities.

Implementation of the Convention is monitored through annual Meetings of the States Parties, intersessional meetings of thematic Committees, and five-yearly Review Conferences. An Implementation Support Unit (ISU), hosted by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), was also established to assist States in fulflling their obligations.

The Twenty-First Meeting of the States Parties (MSP) of the Convention took place from 20 to 24 November 2023, under the Presidency of Ambassador Thomas Göbel of Germany (with Italy serving as one of the eight Vice-Presidents). As in previous years, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the implementation of the Convention’s, particularly in relation to international cooperation, victim assistance, demining and stockpile destruction. These issues were further addressed during the Fifth Review Conference held in Siem Reap (Cambodia) from 25 to 29 November 2024.

The Review Conference adopted a Political Declaration and a new Action Plan to guide the implementation of the Convention during the period 2025-2029. During the thematic debates, several States presented extension requests for the completion of their demining obligations to be approved during the Review Conference (Afghanistan, Chad, Cyprus, Eritrea, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Peru and Serbia), citing challenges such as data collection, terrain and climate conditions, insufficient funding and shortages of specialized personnel. The Conference also represented an opportunity for donor countries, including Italy, to present their international cooperation and victims assistance programme.

The 2025 MSP will take place under the Japanese Presidency, from 1 to 5 December. Intersessional meetings were already held from 17 to 20 June, adressing a number of thematic areas. Following Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, five States Parties (Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland) have initiated a withdrawal process – marking the first time in the Treaty’s history that State Parties have taken steps to leave the Convention.

Finally, Zambia will preside over the Meeting of the States Parties in 2026.

The Italian participation in the Treaty

Italy’s committment within the framework of the Treaty is longstanding and substantial. Having adopted a national law banning anti-personnel mines even before the conclusion of the Ottawa process, Italy is currently among the countries that have destroyed the largest number of mines, most originated from industrial stockpiles.

Italy in fact completed the destruction of its arsenals in 2002, one year ahead the Treaty’s deadline, while retaining a limited number of anti-personnel mines for training purposes, in accordance with the Convention’s provisions. Even earlier, the adoption of Law No. 374/1997 had prohibited the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of mines, and mandated their complete destruction.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) regularly reports to Parliament by submitting a semi-annual report on the implementation of Law No. 374/1997 and an annual report on activities carried out under Law No. 58/2001, which established the Humanitarian Demining Fund. This Fund supports humanitarian demining operations, victim assistance, and awareness campaigns for civilian populations. Among its most recent initiatives are activities in Libya, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan.

Italy also observes April 4th, the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action (established by the United Nations in 2005), recognizing the continued importance of adressing the devastating humanitarian consequences of the use of anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions, and other unexploded ordnance.

Italy plays an active role in the follow-up to the Ottawa process, both diplomatically—by taking part in all meetings of the Convention—and operationally, through its strong support for humanitarian demining programs. It and promotes the development of integrated approaches to the clearance of ordnance-contaminated areas, recognizing that while different treaties govern specific types of weapons, their humanitarian objectives are closely complementary.

Main Statements

Intersessional Meetings – Geneva, 17-20 June 2025

Ms. Elena Gai