The Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices, or Protocol II, is a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

that restricts the use of

land mine A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...

s, remotely delivered mines, and booby traps. It is Protocol II to the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

Content

The Protocol prohibits the use of land mines, remotely delivered mines, or booby traps to kill civilians or to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering to soldiers. It also prohibits the use of booby traps that are "attached to or associated with" any of the following features: :(a) internationally recognized protective emblems, signs or signals; :(b) sick, wounded or dead persons; :(c) burial or cremation sites or graves; :(d) medical facilities, medical equipment, medical supplies or medical transportation; :(e) children's toys or other portable objects or products specially designed for the feeding, health, hygiene, clothing or education of children; :(f) food or drink; :(g) kitchen utensils or appliances except in military establishments, military locations or military supply depots; :(h) objects clearly of a religious nature; :(i) historic monuments, works of art or places of worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples; and :(j) animals or their carcasses. The Protocol applies to both international and internal armed conflicts. It prohibits the use of non-detectable anti-personnel mines and their transfer; prohibits the use of non-self-destructing and non-self-deactivating mines outside fenced, monitored and marked areas; broadens obligations of protection in favour of peacekeeping and other missions of the United Nations and its agencies; requires States to enforce compliance with its provisions within their jurisdiction; and calls for penal sanctions in case of violation.

History

The original Protocol was an annex to the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and entered into force on 2 December 1983. The Protocol was amended in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

on 3 May 1996, known as Amended Protocol II. The amendment was triggered due to widespread harm caused to by civilians during the Indochina Wars. The convention previously only applied to international conflicts, but the amendment extended the Mines Protocol to also include internal conflicts. The amended version entered into force on 3 December 1998 and as of October 2020 has 106 state parties, which includes 105 United Nations member states plus the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

. The convention has been credited with saving hundreds of thousands of civilian lives since being amended in the 1990s.

References

External links

1996 (amended) Protocol1980 (original) ProtocolState parties (amended)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices, Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of 1996 in Switzerland Arms control treaties Treaties concluded in 1980 Treaties entered into force in 1983 Treaties concluded in 1996 Treaties entered into force in 1998 International humanitarian law treaties United Nations treaties Protocol Treaties of Albania Treaties of Argentina Treaties of Australia Treaties of Austria Treaties of Bangladesh Treaties of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic Treaties of Belgium Treaties of Bolivia Treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina Treaties of Brazil Treaties of the People's Republic of Bulgaria Treaties of Burkina Faso Treaties of Cambodia Treaties of Cameroon Treaties of Canada Treaties of Cape Verde Treaties of Chile Treaties of the People's Republic of China Treaties of Colombia Treaties of Costa Rica Treaties of Croatia Treaties of Cyprus Treaties of the Czech Republic Treaties of Denmark Treaties of the Dominican Republic Treaties of Ecuador Treaties of El Salvador Treaties of Estonia Treaties of Finland Treaties of France Treaties of Gabon Treaties of Georgia (country) Treaties of Germany Treaties of Greece Treaties of Grenada Treaties of Guatemala Treaties of Guinea-Bissau Treaties of the Holy See Treaties of Honduras Treaties of the Hungarian People's Republic Treaties of Iceland Treaties of Iraq Treaties of India Treaties of Ireland Treaties of Israel Treaties of Italy Treaties of Jamaica Treaties of Japan Treaties of Jordan Treaties of Kuwait Treaties of Latvia Treaties of Liberia Treaties of Liechtenstein Treaties of Lithuania Treaties of Luxembourg Treaties of Madagascar Treaties of the Maldives Treaties of Mali Treaties of Malta Treaties of Monaco Treaties of Montenegro Treaties of Morocco Treaties of Nauru Treaties of the Netherlands Treaties of New Zealand Treaties of Nicaragua Treaties of Niger Treaties of Norway Treaties of Pakistan Treaties of Panama Treaties of Paraguay Treaties of Peru Treaties of the Philippines Treaties of the Polish People's Republic Treaties of Portugal Treaties of South Korea Treaties of Moldova Treaties of Romania Treaties of the Soviet Union Treaties of Senegal Treaties of Serbia and Montenegro Treaties of Seychelles Treaties of Sierra Leone Treaties of Slovakia Treaties of Slovenia Treaties of South Africa Treaties of Spain Treaties of Sri Lanka Treaties of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Treaties of Sweden Treaties of Switzerland Treaties of Tajikistan Treaties of North Macedonia Treaties of Tunisia Treaties of Turkey Treaties of Turkmenistan Treaties of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Treaties of the United Kingdom Treaties of the United States Treaties of Uruguay Treaties of Venezuela Treaties of Zambia Treaties extended to the Faroe Islands Treaties extended to Greenland Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons Treaties extended to the Caribbean Netherlands Treaties of Mauritius