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The Montreux Document is an agreement between signature countries obligations regarding private military and security companies in war zones. It was ratified in
Original ratifiers of the agreement in 2008 were:
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As of December 2018, 54 states had joined the Montreux Document.
“The Montreux Document”
Private military contractors Diplomatic conferences in Switzerland
Montreux
Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxima ...
, Switzerland, in September 2008."The Montreux Document on Private Military and Security Companies”International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
, retrieved December 15, 2010 The document lists some 70 recommendations for good state practices such as verifying companies track record, examining procedures used to vet staff, correct prosecution when breaches of law occur, and ensure compliance and personnel training with international humanitarian and human rights law.
Its full name is 'The Montreux Document on Pertinent International Legal Obligations and Good Practices for States related to Operations of Private Military and Security Companies during Armed Conflict of 17 September 2008'. It provides contracting states, home states, and territorial states, with a restatement of their international legal obligations and a series of ‘good practices’ to use in interacting with the industry.
Several provisions also provide legal obligations incumbent on private security companies
A private security company (PSC) is a business entity which provides armed or unarmed security services and expertise to clients in the private or public sectors.
Overview
Private security companies are defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Stat ...
themselves. Importantly, the focus of the document is primarily on times of armed conflict – but the principles are expressly relevant to non-armed conflict situations as well. It is a non-binding, non-legal document in that it neither creates nor alters legal obligations, but merely articulates existing requirements pertinent to private security operations.
Elements of the Montreux Document have been incorporated into the management system standards jointly authored and published by ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI ) is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organi ...
/ ASIS, such as PSC.1-2012 and PSC.4-2013.
Ratifying states
Original ratifiers of the agreement in 2008 were:
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As of December 2018, 54 states had joined the Montreux Document.
See also
*Private military company
A private military company (PMC) or private military and security company (PMSC) is a private company providing armed combat or security services for financial gain. PMCs refer to their personnel as "security contractors" or "private military ...
* International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries
References
{{reflistExternal links
“The Montreux Document”
Private military contractors Diplomatic conferences in Switzerland