18 September 1997
Preamble
The States Parties,
Determined to put an end to the suffering and casualties caused by
anti-personnel
mines, that kill or maim hundreds of people every week, mostly innocent
and
defenceless civilians and especially children, obstruct economic
development
and
reconstruction, inhibit the repatriation of refugees and internally
displaced
persons,
and have other severe consequences for years after emplacement,
Believing it necessary to do their utmost to contribute in an efficient
and coordinated
manner to face the challenge of removing anti-personnel mines placed
throughout
the
world, and to assure their destruction,
Wishing to do their utmost in providing assistance for the care and
rehabilitation,
including the social and economic reintegration of mine victims,
Recognizing that a total ban of anti-personnel mines would also be an
important
confidence-building measure,
Welcoming the adoption of the Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions
on the Use of
Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices, as amended on 3 May 1996, annexed
to
the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain
Conventional
Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have
Indiscriminate Effects, and calling for the early ratification of this
Protocol by all States
which have not yet done so,
Welcoming also United Nations General Assembly Resolution 51/45 S of
10 December 1996 urging all States to pursue vigorously an effective,
legally-binding
international agreement to ban the use, stockpiling, production and
transfer
of
anti-personnel landmines,
Welcoming furthermore the measures taken over the past years, both
unilaterally
and multilaterally, aiming at prohibiting, restricting or suspending
the
use, stockpiling,
production and transfer of anti-personnel mines,
Stressing the role of public conscience in furthering the principles of
humanity as
evidenced by the call for a total ban of anti-personnel mines and
recognizing
the efforts
to that end undertaken by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement,
the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and numerous other
non-governmental
organizations around the world,
Recalling the Ottawa Declaration of 5 October 1996 and the Brussels
Declaration
of
27 June 1997 urging the international community to negotiate an
international
and legally
binding agreement prohibiting the use, stockpiling, production and
transfer
of
anti-personnel mines,
Emphasizing the desirability of attracting the adherence of all States
to this Convention,
and determined to work strenuously towards the promotion of its
universalization
in
all relevant fora including, inter alia, the United Nations, the
Conference
on Disarmament,
regional organizations, and groupings, and review conferences of the
Convention
on
Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons
Which May
Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate
Effects,
Basing themselves on the principle of international humanitarian law
that
the right of the
parties to an armed conflict to choose methods or means of warfare is
not
unlimited,
on the principle that prohibits the employment in armed conflicts of
weapons,
projectiles
and materials and methods of warfare of a nature to cause superfluous
injury
or
unnecessary suffering and on the principle that a distinction must be
made
between
civilians and combatants,
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
General obligations
1. Each State Party undertakes never under any circumstances:
a) To use anti-personnel mines;
b) To develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain or
transfer
to anyone,
directly or indirectly, anti-personnel mines;
c) To assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any
activity prohibited
to a State Party under this Convention.
2. Each State Party undertakes to destroy or ensure the destruction of
all anti-personnel
mines in accordance with the provisions of this Convention.
Article 2
Definitions
1. "Anti-personnel mine" means a mine designed to be exploded by the
presence,
proximity or contact of a person and that will incapacitate, injure or
kill one or more
persons. Mines designed to be detonated by the presence, proximity or
contact
of
a vehicle as opposed to a person, that are equipped with anti-handling
devices, are not
considered anti-personnel mines as a result of being so equipped.
2. "Mine" means a munition designed to be placed under, on or near the
ground or
other surface area and to be exploded by the presence, proximity or
contact
of a
person or a vehicle.
3. "Anti-handling device" means a device intended to protect a mine and
which is part of,
linked to, attached to or placed under the mine and which activates
when
an attempt is
made to tamper with or otherwise intentionally disturb the mine.
4. "Transfer" involves, in addition to the physical movement of
anti-personnel
mines into
or from national territory, the transfer of title to and control over
the
mines, but does not
involve the transfer of territory containing emplaced anti-personnel
mines.
5. "Mined area" means an area which is dangerous due to the presence or
suspected
presence of mines.
Article 3
Exceptions
1. Notwithstanding the general obligations under Article 1, the
retention
or transfer
of a number of anti-personnel mines for the development of and training
in mine
detection, mine clearance, or mine destruction techniques is permitted.
The amount
of such mines shall not exceed the minimum number absolutely necessary
for the
above-mentioned purposes.
2. The transfer of anti-personnel mines for the purpose of destruction
is permitted.
Article 4
Destruction of stockpiled anti-personnel mines
Except as provided for in Article 3, each State Party undertakes to
destroy
or ensure
the destruction of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines it owns or
possesses,
or that are
under its jurisdiction or control, as soon as possible but not later
than
four ye ars after
the entry into force of this Convention for that State Party.
Article 5
Destruction of anti-personnel mines in mined areas
1. Each State Party undertakes to destroy or ensure the destruction of
all anti-personnel
mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control, as soon as
possible
but not later
than ten years after the entry into force of this Convention for that
State
Party.
2. Each State Party shall make every effort to identify all areas under
its jurisdiction or
control in which anti-personnel mines are known or suspected to be
emplaced
and
shall ensure as soon as possible that all anti-personnel mines in mined
areas under its
jurisdiction or control are perimeter-marked, monitored and protected
by
fencing or
other means, to ensure the effective exclusion of civilians, until all
anti-personnel mines
contained therein have been destroyed. The marking shall at least be to
the standards
set out in the Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of
Mines,
Booby-Traps and Other Devices, as amended on 3 May 1996, annexed to the
Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain
Conventional
Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have
Indiscriminate Effects.
3. If a State Party believes that it will be unable to destroy or
ensure
the
destruction of all anti-personnel mines referred to in paragraph 1
within
that
time period, it may submit a request to a Meeting of the States Parties
or a
Review Conference for an extension of the deadline for completing the
destruction of such anti-personnel mines, for a period of up to ten
years.
4. Each request shall contain:
a) The duration of the proposed extension;
b) A detailed explanation of the reasons for the proposed extension, including:
(i) The preparation and status of work conducted under nationalc) The humanitarian, social, economic, and environmental implications of
demining programs;(ii) The financial and technical means available to the State Party for
the destruction of all the anti-personnel mines; and(iii) Circumstances which impede the ability of the State Party to
destroy all the anti-personnel mines in mined areas;
d) Any other information relevant to the request for the proposed extension.
5. The Meeting of the States Parties or the Review Conference shall,
taking
into consideration the factors contained in paragraph 4, assess the
request
and decide by a majority of votes of States Parties present and voting
whether to grant the request for an extension period.
6. Such an extension may be renewed upon the submission of a new
request in accordance with paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of this Article. In
requesting a further extension period a State Party shall submit
relevant
additional information on what has been undertaken in the previous
extension period pursuant to this Article.
Article 6
International cooperation and assistance
1. In fulfilling its obligations under this Convention each State Party
has
the right to seek and receive assistance, where feasible, from other
States
Parties to the extent possible.
2. Each State Party undertakes to facilitate and shall have the right
to
participate in the fullest possible exchange of equipment, material and
scientific and technological information concerning the implementation
of this Convention. The States Parties shall not impose undue
restrictions
on the provision of mine clearance equipment and related technological
information for humanitarian purposes.
3. Each State Party in a position to do so shall provide assistance for
the
care and rehabilitation, and social and economic reintegration, of mine
victims and for mine awareness programs. Such assistance may be
provided, inter alia, through the United Nations system, international,
regional or national organizations or institutions, the International
Committee of the Red Cross, national Red Cross and Red Crescent
societies and their International Federation, non-governmental
organizations,
or on a bilateral basis.
4. Each State Party in a position to do so shall provide assistance for
mine
clearance and related activities. Such assistance may be provided,
inter
alia,
through the United Nations system, international or regional
organizations
or
institutions, non-governmental organizations or institutions, or on a
bilateral
basis, or by contributing to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund
for
Assistance in Mine Clearance, or other regional funds that deal with
demining.
5. Each State Party in a position to do so shall provide assistance for
the
destruction of stockpiled anti-personnel mines.
6. Each State Party undertakes to provide information to the database
on
mine clearance established within the United Nations system, especially
information concerning various means and technologies of mine
clearance,
and lists of experts, expert agencies or national points of contact on
mine clearance.
7. States Parties may request the United Nations, regional
organizations,
other States
Parties or other competent intergovernmental or non-governmental fora
to
assist its
authorities in the elaboration of a national demining program to
determine,
inter alia:
a) The extent and scope of the anti-personnel mine problem;
b) The financial, technological and human resources that are required
for
the
implementation of the program;
c) The estimated number of years necessary to destroy all
anti-personnel
mines in
mined areas under the jurisdiction or control of the concerned State
Party;
d) Mine awareness activities to reduce the incidence of mine-related
injuries
or deaths;
e) Assistance to mine victims;
f) The relationship between the Government of the concerned State Party
and the
relevant governmental, inter-governmental or non-governmental entities
that will
work in the implementation of the program.
8. Each State Party giving and receiving assistance under the
provisions
of this
Article shall cooperate with a view to ensuring the full and prompt
implementation
of agreed assistance programs.
Article 7
Transparency measures
1. Each State Party shall report to the Secretary-General of the United
Nations
as soon as practicable, and in any event not later than 180 days after
the entry
into force of this Convention for that State Party on:
a) The national implementation measures referred to in Article 9;
b) The total of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines owned or possessed
by it,
or under its jurisdiction or control, to include a breakdown of the
type,
quantity
and, if possible, lot numbers of each type of anti-personnel mine
stockpiled;
c) To the extent possible, the location of all mined areas that
contain,
or are
suspected to contain, anti-personnel mines under its jurisdiction or
control,
to
include as much detail as possible regarding the type and quantity of
each
type
of anti-personnel mine in each mined area and when they were emplaced;
d) The types, quantities and, if possible, lot numbers of all
anti-personnel
mines retained or transferred for the development of and training in
mine
detection, mine clearance or mine destruction techniques, or
transferred
for
the purpose of destruction, as well as the institutions authorized by a
State Party
to retain or transfer anti-personnel mines, in accordance with Article
3;
e) The status of programs for the conversion or de-commissioning of
anti-personnel mine production facilities;
f) The status of programs for the destruction of anti-personnel mines
in accordance with Articles 4 and 5, including details of the methods
which
will
be used in destruction, the location of all destruction sites and the
applicable
safety and environmental standards to be observed;
g) The types and quantities of all anti-personnel mines destroyed after
the
entry into force of this Convention for that State Party, to include a
breakdown
of the quantity of each type of anti-personnel mine destroyed, in
accordance
with
Articles 4 and 5 , respectively, along with, if possible, the lot
numbers
of each type
of anti-personnel mine in the case of destruction in accordance with
Article
4;
h) The technical characteristics of each type of anti-personnel mine
produced,
to the extent known, and those currently owned or possessed by a State
Party,
giving, where reasonably possible, such categories of information as
may
facilitate
identification and clearance of anti-personnel mines; at a minimum,
this
information
shall include the dimensions, fusing, explosive content, metallic
content,
colour
photographs and other information which may facilitate mine clearance;
and
i) The measures taken to provide an immediate and effective warning to
the population in relation to all areas identified under paragraph 2 of
Article 5.
2. The information provided in accordance with this Article shall be
updated
by
the States Parties annually, covering the last calendar year, and
reported
to the
Secretary-General of the United Nations not later than 30 April of each
year.
3. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall transmit all
such reports received to the States Parties.
Article 8
Facilitation and clarification of compliance
1. The States Parties agree to consult and cooperate with each other
regarding
the implementation of the provisions of this Convention, and to
work
together
in a spirit of cooperation to facilitate compliance by States
Parties
with their
obligations under this Convention.
2. If one or more States Parties wish to clarify and seek to resolve
questions
relating to compliance with the provisions of this Convention by
another State Party,
it may submit, through the Secretary-General of the United
Nations,
a Request for
Clarification of that matter to that State Party. Such a request shall
be
accompanied by all appropriate information. Each State Party shall
refrain
from
unfounded Requests for Clarification, care being taken to avoid
abuse.
A State Party
that receives a Request fo r Clarification shall provide, through
the Secretary-General
of the United Nations, within 28 days to the requesting State
Party
all information
which would assist in clarifying this matter.
3. If the requesting State Party does not receive a response through
the
Secretary-General of the United Nations within that time period,
or deems
the response to the Request for Clarification to be unsatisfactory,
it
may submit
the matter through the Secr etary-General of the United Nations to the
next
Meeting of the States Parties. The Secretary-General of the
United
Nations shall
transmit the submission, accompanied by all appropriate
information
pertaining
to the Request for Clarification, to all States Parties. All such
information
shall
be presented to the requested State Party which shall have the right to
respond.
4. Pending the convening of any meeting of the States Parties, any of
the
States Parties concerned may request the Secretary-General of the
United
Nations to exercise his or her good offices to facilitate the
clarification
requested.
5. The requesting State Party may propose through the Secretary-General
of the
United Nations the convening of a Special Meeting of the States
Parties
to
consider the matter. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall
thereupon
communicate this proposal and all information submitted by the States
Parties
concerned, to all States Parties with a request that they indicate
whether
they favour
a Special Meeting of the States Parties, for the purpose of
considering
the matter.
In the event that within 14 days from the date of such
communication,
at least one-third
of the States Parties favours such a Special Meeting, the
Secretary-General
of the
United Nations shall convene this Special Meeting of the States Parties
within a
further 14 days. A quorum for t his Meeting shall consist of a majority
of States Parties.
6. The Meeting of the States Parties or the Special Meeting of the
States
Parties, as
the case may be, shall first determine whether to consider the
matter
further, taking
into account all information submitted by the States Parties concerned.
The Meeting
of the States Parties or the Special Meeting of the States Parties
shall
make every
effort to reach a decision by consensus. If despite all efforts to that
end no
agreement has been reached, it shall take this decision by a majority
of
States
Parties present and voting.
7. All States Parties shall cooperate fully with the Meeting of the
States
Parties
or the Special Meeting of the States Parties in the fulfilment of
its review of the
matter, including any fact-finding missions that are authorized
in
accordance
with paragraph 8.
8. If further clarification is required, the Meeting of the States
Parties
or the
Special Meeting of the States Parties shall authorize a fact-finding
mission
and
decide on its mandate by a majority of States Parties present and
voting. At
any time the re quested State Party may invite a fact-finding mission
to
its territory.
Such a mission shall take place without a decision by a Meeting of the
States
Parties or a Special Meeting of the States Parties to authorize
such
a mission.
The mission, consisting of up to 9 experts, designated and
approved
in
accordance with paragraphs 9 and 10, may collect additional information
on
the spot or in other places directly related to the alleged compliance
issue under
the jurisdiction or control of the requested State Party.
9. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall prepare and update
a list
of the names, nationalities and other relevant data of qualified
experts provided
by States Parties and communicate it to all States Parties. Any expert
included
on this list sh all be regarded as designated for all fact-finding
missions
unless a
State Party declares its non-acceptance in writing. In the event of
non-acceptance,
the expert shall not participate in fact-finding missions on the
territory or any other
place under the jurisdiction or control of the objecting State Party,
if
the
non-acceptance was declared prior to the appointment of the expert to
such
missions.
10. Upon receiving a request from the Meeting of the States Parties or
a Special
Meeting of the States Parties, the Secretary-General of the United
Nations
shall,
after consultations with the requested State Party, appoint the members
of the
mission, including its leader. Nationals of States Parties requesting
the
fact-finding
mission or directly affected by it shall not be appointed to the
mission.
The
members of the fact-finding mission shall enjoy privileges and
immunities
under
Article VI of the Convent ion on the Privileges and Immunities of the
United
Nations, adopted on 13 February 1946.
11. Upon at least 72 hours notice, the members of the fact-finding
mission
shall
arrive in the territory of the requested State Party at the earliest
opportunity.
The
requested State Party shall take the necessary administrative measures
to receive,
transport and accommodate the mission, and shall be responsible for
ensuring
the security of the mission to the maximum extent possible while they
are
on
territory under its control.
12. Without prejudice to the sovereignty of the requested State Party,
the
fact-finding mission may bring into the territory of the requested
State
Party the
necessary equipment which shall be used exclusively for gathering
information
on the alleged compliance issue. Prior to its arrival, the mission will
advise
the requested State Party of the equipment that it intends to utilize
in
the course
of its fact-finding mission.
13. The requested State Party shall make all efforts to ensure that the
fact-finding mission is given the opportunity to speak with all
relevant
persons
who may be able to provide information related to the alleged
compliance
issue.
14. The requested State Party shall grant access for the fact-finding
mission
to
all areas and installations under its control where facts relevant to
the
compliance
issue could be expected to be collected. This shall be subject to any
arrangements
that the requested State Party considers necessary for:
a) The protection of sensitive equipment, information and areas;15. The fact-finding mission may remain in the territory of the State Party concernedb) The protection of any constitutional obligations the requested State Party
may have with regard to proprietary rights, searches and seizures, or other
constitutional rights; orc) The physical protection and safety of the members of the fact-finding
mission. In the event that the requested State Party makes such arrangements,
it shall make every reasonable effort to demonstrate through alternative means
its compliance with this Convention.
16. All information provided in confidence and not related to the
subject
matter of
the fact-finding mission shall be treated on a confidential basis.
17. The fact-finding mission shall report, through the
Secretary-General
of the
United Nations, to the Meeting of the States Parties or the
Special
Meeting of
the States Parties the results of its findings.
18. The Meeting of the States Parties or the Special Meeting of the
States
Parties shall
consider all relevant information, including the report submitted by
the
fact-finding mission,
and may request the requested State Party to take measures to address
the
compliance
issue within a specified period of time. The requested State Party
shall
report on all
measures taken in response to this request.
19. The Meeting of the States Parties or the Special Meeting of the
States
Parties may
suggest to the States Parties concerned ways and means to further
clarify
or resolve the
matter under consideration, including the initiation of appropriate
procedures
in conformity
with international law. In circumstances where the issue at hand is
determined
to be due
to circumstances beyond the control of the requested State Party, the
Meeting
of the States
Parties or the Special Meeting of the States Parties may recommend
appropriate
measures,
including the use of cooperative measures referred to in Article 6.
20. The Meeting of the States Parties or the Special Meeting of the
States
Parties shall
make every effort to reach its decisions referred to in paragraphs 18
and
19 by
consensus, otherwise by a two-thirds majority of States Parties present
and voting.
Article 9
National implementation measures
Each State Party shall take all appropriate legal, administrative and
other
measures, including the imposition of penal sanctions, to prevent and
suppress
any
activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention undertaken
by
persons or
on territory under its jurisdiction or control.
Article 10
Settlement of disputes
1. The States Parties shall consult and cooperate with each other to
settle
any dispute
That may arise with regard to the application or the interpretation of
this Convention.
Each State Party may bring any such dispute before the Meeting of the
States
Parties.
2. The Meeting of the States Parties may contribute to the settlement
of
the dispute
by whatever means it deems appropriate, including offering its good
offices,
calling
upon the States parties to a dispute to start the settlement procedure
of their choice
and recommending a time-limit for any agreed procedure.
3. This Article is without prejudice to the provisions of this
Convention
on facilitation
and clarification of compliance.
Article 11
Meetings of the States Parties
1. The States Parties shall meet regularly in order to consider any
matter
with
regard to the application or implementation of this Convention,
including:
a) The operation and status of this Convention;
b) Matters arising from the reports submitted under the provisions of this Convention;
c) International cooperation and assistance in accordance with Article 6;
d) The development of technologies to clear anti-personnel mines;
e) Submissions of States Parties under Article 8; and
f) Decisions relating to submissions of States Parties as provided for in Article 5.
2. The First Meeting of the States Parties shall be convened by the
Secretary-General
of the United Nations within one year after the entry into force of
this
Convention. The
subsequent meetings shall be convened by the Secretary-General of the
United
Nations
annually until the first Review Conference.
3. Under the conditions set out in Article 8, the Secretary-General of
the
United Nations shall convene a Special Meeting of the States Parties.
4. States not parties to this Convention, as well as the United
Nations,
other relevant international organizations or institutions, regional
organizations,
the International Committee of the Red Cross and relevant
non-governmental
organizations may be inv ited to attend these meetings as observers in
accordance
with the agreed Rules of Procedure.
Article 12
Review Conferences
1. A Review Conference shall be convened by the Secretary-General of
the
United Nations five years after the entry into force of this
Convention.
Further
Review Conferences shall be convened by the Secretary-General of the
United
Nations if so requested by one or more States Parties, provided that
the
interval
between Review Conferences shall in no case be less than five years.
All
States
Parties to this Convention shall be invited to each Review Conference.
2. The purpose of the Review Conference shall be:
a) To review the operation and status of this Convention;3. States not parties to this Convention, as well as the United Nations, otherb) To consider the need for and the interval between further Meetings
of the States Parties referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 11;c) To take decisions on submissions of States Parties as provided for
in Article 5; andd) To adopt, if necessary, in its final report conclusions related to the
implementation of this Convention.
Article 13
Amendments
1. At any time after the entry into force of this Convention any State
Party may
propose amendments to this Convention. Any proposal for an amendment
shall
be communicated to the Depositary, who shall circulate it to all States
Parties and
shall seek their views on whether an Amendment Conference should be
convened to consider the proposal. If a majority of the States Parties
notify the
Depositary no later than 30 days after its circulation that they
support
further
consideration of the proposal, the Deposi tary shall convene an
Amendment
Conference to which all States Parties shall be invited.
2. States not parties to this Convention, as well as the United
Nations,
other
relevant international organizations or institutions, regional
organizations,
the
International Committee of the Red Cross and relevant non-governmental
Organizations may be inv ited to attend each Amendment Conference as
observers in accordance with the agreed Rules of Procedure.
3. The Amendment Conference shall be held immediately following a
Meeting of the States Parties or a Review Conference unless a majority
of
the States Parties request that it be held earlier.
4. Any amendment to this Convention shall be adopted by a majority of
two-thirds of the States Parties present and voting at the Amendment
Conference.
The Depositary shall communicate any amendment so adopted to the States
Parties.
5. An amendment to this Convention shall enter into force for all
States
Parties to this Convention which have accepted it, upon the deposit
with
the
Depositary of instruments of acceptance by a majority of States
Parties.
Thereafter it shall enter into fo rce for any remaining State Party on
the
date of deposit of its instrument of acceptance.
Article 14
Costs
1. The costs of the Meetings of the States Parties, the Special
Meetings
of the States Parties, the Review Conferences and the Amendment
Conferences
shall be borne by the States Parties and States not parties to this
Convention
participating therein, in ac cordance with the United Nations scale of
assessment adjusted appropriately.
2. The costs incurred by the Secretary-General of the United Nations
under
Articles 7 and 8 and the costs of any fact-finding mission shall be
borne
by
the States Parties in accordance with the United Nations scale of
assessment
adjusted appropriately.
Article 15
Signature
This Convention, done at Oslo, Norway, on 18 September 1997,
shall be open for signature at Ottawa, Canada, by all States from 3
December
1997 until 4 December 1997, and at the United Nations Headquarters in
New York from 5 December 1997 until its entry in to force.
Article 16
Ratification, acceptance, approval or accession
1. This Convention is subject to ratification, acceptance or approval
of the Signatories.
2. It shall be open for accession by any State which has not signed
the Convention.
3. The instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession
shall be deposited with the Depositary.
Article 17
Entry into force
1. This Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the
sixth month after the month in which the 40th instrument of
ratification,
acceptance, approval or accession has been deposited.
2. For any State which deposits its instrument of ratification,
acceptance,
approval or accession after the date of the deposit of the 40th
instrument
of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, this Convention
shall
enter into force on the first day of the sixth month after the date on
which
that State has deposited its instrument of ratification, acceptance,
approval or accession.
Article 18
Provisional application
Any State may at the time of its ratification, acceptance, approval or
accession, declare that it will apply provisionally paragraph 1 of
Article
1
of this Convention pending its entry into force.
Article 19
Reservations
The Articles of this Convention shall not be subject to reservations.
Article 20
Duration and withdrawal
1. This Convention shall be of unlimited duration.
2. Each State Party shall, in exercising its national
sovereignty,
have
the right to withdraw from this Convention. It shall give notice of
such
withdrawal to all other States Parties, to the Depositary and to the
United
Nations Security Council. Such inst rument of withdrawal shall include
a full explanation of the reasons motivating this withdrawal.
3. Such withdrawal shall only take effect six months after the receipt
of the instrument of withdrawal by the Depositary. If, however, on the
expiry of that six-month period, the withdrawing State Party is engaged
in an
armed conflict, the withdrawal shal l not take effect before the end of
the
armed conflict.
4. The withdrawal of a State Party from this Convention shall not in
any way affect the duty of States to continue fulfilling the
obligations
assumed under any relevant rules of international law.
Article 21
Depositary
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is hereby
designated as the Depositary of this Convention.
Article 22
Authentic texts
The original of this Convention, of which the Arabic, Chinese, English,
French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be
deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.