Five-Year Review: State Party Ecuador ratified the convention in May 2010 and amended its penal code later that month to enforce the convention’s provisions. Ecuador has participated in nearly all the convention’s meetings and has served as the convention’s co-coordinator on universalization since September 2014. It has condemned new use of cluster munitions, including in Syria.

Ecuador has not used, produced, or exported cluster munitions. In its initial transparency report provided in 2011, Ecuador declared the destruction of a stockpile of 117 cluster bombs in 2004 and confirmed it no longer possesses cluster munitions, including for training or research purposes.

Policy

The Republic of Ecuador signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008, ratified on 11 May 2010, and the convention entered into force for the country on 1 November 2010.

Ecuador amended its penal code on 19 May 2010 to enforce the Convention on Cluster Munitions with penal sanctions of up to 16 years imprisonment for activities relating to cluster munitions.[1]

Ecuador submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report for the convention on 23 June 2011 and provided an updated annual report on 30 April 2013.[2] In September 2014, Ecuador committed to provide the annual updated report due by 30 April 2014 “as soon as possible.”[3]

Ecuador participated fully in the Oslo Process that produced the Convention on Cluster Munitions and hosted a regional meeting in Quito in November 2008 to promote signature.[4]

Ecuador engages proactively in the work of the convention. It has participated in all but one of the convention’s Meeting of States Parties, including the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in San Jose, Costa Rica in September 2014, where it made several statements.[5] Ecuador has attended every intersessional meeting of the convention in Geneva since 2012, most recently in June 2015.

Ecuador participated in a regional workshop on cluster munitions held in Santiago, Chile in December 2013.

At the UN General Assembly (UNGA) First Committee on Disarmament and International Security in October 2014, Ecuador reiterated its commitment to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[6]

Ecuador has condemned any use of any prohibited weapons, including the use of cluster munitions in Syria.[7]

Ecuador is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Interpretive issues

In November 2008, Ecuador provided a detailed statement elaborating its views on several key issues relating to its interpretation and implementation of the convention. Ecuador stated that transit of cluster munitions should be prohibited; the number of units retained for training should not be greater than 1,000 and should reduce with time; Article 21 (on interoperability) should never be used to justify any derogation from the convention’s core prohibitions; and the article should not be interpreted as suspending other obligations under the convention. It stated the spirit of Article 21 is to promote universalization of the convention.[8]

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Ecuador has stated several times that it has not used, produced, or transferred cluster munitions.[9]

In its Article 7 report, Ecuador declared that it destroyed a stockpile of 117 BL-755 cluster bombs in October 2004 and has possessed no cluster munitions since then.[10]

It is not retaining any cluster munitions for training or research purposes.[11]

Jump to a specific section of the profile:

Treaty Status | Management & Coordination | Impact (contamination & casualties) | Addressing the Impact (land release, risk education, victim assistance)

Country summary

Mine contamination in the Republic of Ecuador results from the border conflict with Peru, which culminated with the 1995 Cenepa War. After signing the 1998 Brasilia Peace Accords, ending the dispute between both countries, the demining process began and humanitarian aid operations started in the border areas with Peru.

The mined section of the border was predominantly in the Condor mountain range that was at the center of the dispute. Since the peace accord was signed, both countries have emphasized bilateral cooperation, mutual trust, and transparency between their respective mine action agencies, Ecuador’s National Center for Humanitarian Demining (CENDESMI) and the Peruvian Mine Action Coordination Center (CONTRAMINAS), in order to solve their landmine problem.[1]

Under the Binational Cooperation Program (Programa Binacional de Cooperación) established in 2000, Ecuador and Peru adopted a Binational Manual for Humanitarian Demining (Manual Binacional de Desminado Humanitario) in April 2013 to unify their demining procedures in accordance with the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS). Risk education is also conducted as part of this binational cooperation program.

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, and in accordance with the five-year extension granted in 2017, Ecuador is required to clear all antipersonnel mines contaminated areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 31 December 2022. The remaining contamination in Ecuador is small, a total of 0.04km² (40,056m²) containing an estimated 2,941 landmines.[2]

Ecuador does not have any cluster munition remnants contamination in areas under its jurisdiction or control.[3]

Treaty status

Treaty status overview

Ecuador became a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty has submitted and was granted three Article 5 deadline extension requests since becoming a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty in 1999. Under its latest extension, it is required to clear and destroy all antipersonnel mines in contaminated areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 31 December 2022.[4]

Management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination overview

Coordination

The national mine action program is managed by the National Center for Humanitarian Demining (CENDESMI). It is an interministerial body chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility and is made up of the ministries of defense and health, and the Army Corps of Engineers (CEE) through the Engineers Battalion No. 68 “COTOPAXI” and the General Command for Demining and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD).[5]

Strategies and policies

In its Article 5 deadline extension request from 2017 Ecuador included a National Plan for Humanitarian Demining 2018–2022, which provided information on techniques, resources, mitigating factors, opportunities, and risks, as well as annual clearance targets and an annual demining budget.[6]

An updated plan 2019–2022 was submitted in 2018.[7] The plan provided yearly projections for clearance of the 8.02km² of remaining contamination to complete the process by 2022.[8] The clearance target planned for 2019 was not fully reached. Prioritization of clearance has been guided by population density near contaminated areas and barriers to social and economic development, leaving the remote contaminated areas to be cleared last.[9]

Legislation and standards

CENDESMI was set up by Executive Decree. There is no other national mine action legislation.

Under the Binational Cooperation Program established in 2000, Ecuador and Peru adopted a Binational Manual for Humanitarian Demining (Manual Binacional de Desminado Humanitario) in April 2013 to unify the demining procedures of both states in accordance with the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS).

Information management

Ecuador uses the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database.[10]

Risk education management and coordination

Risk education management and coordination overview

Victim assistance management and coordination

Victim assistance management and coordination overview

Laws and policies

In 2012 Ecuador enacted the Organic Law on Disabilities (Ley Organica de Discapacidades), which should ensure the prevention, timely detection, qualification, and rehabilitation of the disability and ensure the rights of persons with disabilities. The law functions in alignment with rights established in the Constitution of Ecuador and international treaties and instruments, as well as those derived from related laws, with gender, generational, and intercultural approach.[11]

There is no existing legislation specially on assistance for mine/ERW victims.

The public policies in the National Agenda for the Equality of Persons with Disabilities 2017–2021, entitled “Lifelong Rights,” are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Ecuador’s Constitution, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Organic Law on Disabilities, and the National Development Plan. It has 12 public policy points, with strategies, actions, indicators, and goals agreed by working groups comprising 119 from 46 institutions responsible for public policies on disability.[12]

Impact

Contamination

Contamination overview (as of December 2019)[13]

Landmine contamination

Ecuador’s contamination results from the 1995 border conflict with Peru. The most heavily mined section of the border is the Condor mountain range (Cordillera del Condor) which was at the center of the dispute. The initial overall contamination was reported to be 0.62km² (629,081m²).[14]

Only one of Ecuador’s 24 provinces, Zamora Chinchipe, still has mined areas, located in the south of the country along the border with Peru. This area is considered the most difficult to access due to geographical and meteorological conditions.[15]

At the end of December 2018, Ecuador reported 80,238m² of contaminated land across four zones in Zamora Chinchipe.[16] However, in its Article 7 report for calendar year 2019, it reported 40,056m² of contamination across three zones in Zamora Chinchipe. This reduction of 40,182m² is not matched in its land release figures for 2019 of 2,898.5m². However, in June 2019, Ecuador reported that a minefield, PV_La Media, had been surveyed and was determined to be in Peruvian territory, thus reducing the amount of contamination in Ecuador.[17] The size of the PV_La Media minefield was reported to be 41,315m².[18] Despite the discrepancies in figures, the estimate of contamination of 0.04km² is thought to be accurate.

Casualties

Casualties overview

No mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties were reported since 2015.

Addressing the impact

Mine action

Operators and service providers

Clearance operators

Clearance

Land release overview[19]

Land release

Since Ecuador began demining operations in 2000, it has cleared just over 0.55km² of antipersonnel mine contaminated land and cleared 12,193 antipersonnel mines, 74 antivehicle mines, and 35 ERW.[20]

In May 2019, Ecuador submitted an updated work plan for the implementation of its Article 5 obligations, as requested by the Sixteenth Meeting of States Parties.[21] The work plan that was presented included programmed mine clearance in the last remaining contaminated province of Zamora Chinchipe between 2019 to 2022.

Ecuador planned to clear 23,383m² of contamination and find and destroy 478 antipersonnel mines in 2019. But the country failed to meet this target and cleared only 2,899m², clearing and destroying 62 antipersonnel mines. The amount of land cleared in 2019 was a significant reduction from the amount of land cleared in 2018 and 2017. Since 2015 the planned budget allocations have not been met and the clearance targets have not been achieved, with the exception of 2018.[22]

The remaining contamination is reported to be 0.04km² (40,056m²) in three areas with an estimated 2,941 landmines.[23] However, demining operations in Ecuador were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is reported to have delayed planning and affected Ecuador’s ability to complete clearance by 2022.[24]

The workplan for 2020–2021 was as follows: 23 areas totalling 21,010m² in 2021 and 30 areas totalling 19,046m² in 2022. In 2021, Ecuador requested some US$7 million to support clearance operations in 2021 and 2022.[25]

Risk education

Operators and service providers

Risk education operators

Beneficiary numbers

A total of 250 individuals received risk education in 2019.

Target groups

Risk education is conducted as part of clearance operations to populations living close to contaminated areas. The border communities living or working close to the border between Ecuador and Peru are reached through the Binational Mine Risk Education campaigns. In the province of Zamora Chinchipe 14 communities and five ethnic groups live near the mined areas. The minefields limit access to resources and also affect children going to school.[26]

Delivery methods

The risk education is conducted as a multisectoral activity, including the ministries of defense, education, health, and interior.

Major developments in 2019

In 2019, the sixth Binational Mine Risk Education Campaign was carried out in cooperation with Peru, directed to local authorities, leaders, communities and media from the sectors of Chinapintza and Machinaza province of Zamora Chinchipe in Ecuador.[27]

Victim assistance

Victim assistance providers and activities

Victim assistance operators

Needs assessment

In 2020, the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control ordered the registration of 103 ex-combatants from the 1995 Cenepa border conflict as beneficiaries of the Law on Recognition of National Heroes and Heroines. The 103 members are entitled to all applicable benefits.[28]

Medical care and rehabilitation

The ICRC MoveAbility Foundation supported CONADIS, local service providers, and the Ministry of Public Health in improving physical rehabilitation policies and services in 2019. It supported CONADIS in facilitating discussions between authorities of Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua on topics such as applying the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in measuring disability. Additionally, they worked with the Ministry of Public Health to bolster the capacities of the national physical rehabilitation platform.[29]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

The Association of Decorated Combatants with Disabilities “Heroes of Cenepa,” provided psychological support to survivors and their families, as well as to the families of the deceased. The association works with the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, the General Command of the Army, the Institute of Social Security of the Armed Forces, and the National Council for Equality of Disabilities.

Policy

The Republic of Ecuador signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997 and ratified it on 29 April 1999, becoming a State Party on 1 October 1999. Ecuador initiated a process in 2008 to adopt national implementation measures, including penal sanctions as required by Article 9.[1] As of October 2019, no national legislation has been adopted.

Ecuador regularly attends meetings of the treaty, including the Third Review Conference in Maputo in June 2014, and more recently the Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in November 2018, where it provided a general statement and a statement on Article 5 clearance.[2] Ecuador did not attend the intersessional meetings in Geneva in May 2019. It regularly submits updated annual Article 7 transparency reports.

Ecuador previously served on the Standing Committee on Resources, Cooperation and Assistance (2013–2014), the Committee on Article 5 Implementation (2015), and the Committee on Victim Assistance (2016–2017).

Ecuador is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its Amended Protocol II on landmines and Protocol V on explosive remnants of war. Ecuador is also party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Production, transfer, stockpiling, and retention

Ecuador did not produce or export antipersonnel mines in the past. Ecuador previously imported antipersonnel mines from Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Singapore, the former Soviet Union, Spain, and the United States.[3]

Ecuador completed destruction of its stockpile of antipersonnel mines in January 2002, destroying a total of 260,302 mines.[4]

As of December 2018, Ecuador retained 90 mines for training and research. Ecuador initially reported that a total of 16,000 mines would be retained, but later reduced this number to 4,000 mines in 2001.[5]

Use

The Monitor knows of no government use of antipersonnel mines in Ecuador since the Cenepa border war with Peru concluded in 1998.[6]

In 2014, the Republic of Ecuador reported contributing US$5.5 million to its own mine action program, and declared it would provide $11.5 million from 2015–2017.[1]

Ecuador did not receive international support in 2014. In 2013, Belgium and Italy reported contributing $153,192 through the Organization of American States (OAS) for mine clearance at the Ecuador-Peru border.[2]

Ecuador’s extension request, submitted in March 2008, estimated that more than $9 million would be necessary to implement its mine action plan 2009–2017, however this estimation does not take into account new areas identified at the border with Peru since then. 

As of mid-2015, Ecuador’s remaining mine contamination consisted of 200,000m²(0.2km²) of confirmed mined areas and 7,910m² of suspected mined areas.[3] In May 2015, a representative from Ecuador indicated that the “National Demining Plan is financed properly,” allowing the demining operations to “continue normally.”[4]

Since 2010, Ecuador has contributed just more than $12 million or 83% of its total mine action budget.

Summary of contributions: 2010–2014[5]

Note: N/R = not reported