At a time when states are considering leaving the treaty, we are reminded of the words of Pope Francis and his support for the efforts to rid the world of these indiscriminate weapons which too often claim the lives of innocent civilians including children.
While marking the anniversary of the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty, Pope Francis had expressed sympathy for the victims of anti-personnel mines “that continue to target civilians years after hostilities end”. Pope Francis also expressed gratitude for those working to de-mine contaminated land and assist landmine victims calling their efforts “a concrete response to the universal call to be peacemakers. Landmines remind us of the dramatic cruelty of wars and the price civilian populations are forced to bear.”
In a statement at the 11th Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, The Holy See recalled the Convention’s fundamental principles, especially the “unequivocal reaffirmation of the preeminent and inherent value of human dignity and the centrality of the human person.” It also noted that the term “universalization” in the Convention is a legal obligation for those party to it as it “has direct implications and far-reaching consequences, in particular with relation to victims’ assistance, which is one of the main reasons why this Convention came into existence.”
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction is the international agreement that bans antipersonnel landmines. Usually referred to as the Ottawa Convention or the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty it was adopted in 1997 and entered into force on 1 March 1999.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions is an international treaty of more than 100 states that prohibits all use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. The treaty came into force on 1 August 2010.