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Meeting The Managua Challenge

In November 2000, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) challenged governments of the Americas to accelerate their destruction of stockpiled antipersonnel mines ahead of the September 2001 meeting of States Parties to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which will be held in Managua, Nicaragua. It also urged the remaining signatories and non-signatories to fully join the treaty by September 2001 and for all States Parties to submit their initial transparency reports as required under Article 7 of the ban treaty.
An update on this Managua Challenge shows significant progress made by many countries since November 2000 to meet the Challenge:

• Three signatories ratified: Chile, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Uruguay.
• Three States Parties have completed stockpile destruction: Ecuador, Honduras, and Peru. Argentina, Chile, Nicaragua, and Uruguay destroyed some stockpiled mines.
• Six more States Parties have submitted their initial transparency reports: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Paraguay.
• Two States Parties enacted national implementation legislation in 2001: Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago.
• One States Party will reduce the number of antipersonnel mines retained for training and development, as permitted under the Article 3 of the treaty: Peru will reduce the number from 9,526 to 5,578.

Thirty of the thirty-five countries in the Americas region are State Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty. Since November 2000, there have been three ratifications: Uruguay (7 June 2001), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1 August 2001), and Chile (10 September 2001). Three remaining signatories that have not ratified: Guyana, Haiti, and Suriname. Cuba and the United States remain the only two countries in the region that have not joined the Mine Ban Treaty.

National Legislation (Article 9)

Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago enacted national implementation legislation in 2001, joining Canada, Guatemala, and Nicaragua who passed legislation prior to or on 1 March 1999. Costa Rica, and Venezuela are reported to be in the process of enacting national legislation. Mexico has said that new legislation is not necessary because international treaties are incorporated in domestic law. Peru has declared that existing law is sufficient to implement the treaty.

In the following eighteen states, either no legislation is on place or it is not known whether any actions are being taken to implement the treaty domestically: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia.

Chile, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Uruguay ratified in the past six months and are not required to submit transparency measures reports yet, which would detail the measures taken to implement the treaty domestically.

Transparency Reporting (Article 7)

Of the thirty States Parties in the Americas, nineteen countries have submitted their initial transparency measures report: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Eight countries are late in submitting their initial reports:

Initial reports are due from three countries:

Stockpiles and Stockpile Destruction (Article 4)

Canada, Ecuador, Honduras, and Peru have completed destruction of their stockpiles. Argentina, Colombia, Nicaragua, and Uruguay are reported to be in the process of destroying their stocks. Brazil, El Salvador, and Venezuela have not begun the destruction process. The deadlines for the destruction of stockpiles for States Parties in the Americas who have not done so are:

Mines Retained for Training (Article 3)

The number of antipersonnel mines retained for training and development purposes in some countries of the region are amongst the highest of any States Parties globally. Brazil intends to retain 16,550 antipersonnel mines, the most of any State Party, while Ecuador will retain the second highest number, with 16,000 mines. Argentina has increased the number it will retain to 13,025 mines, the fourth highest of any State Party. Peru will reduce the number of antipersonnel mines retained for training and development, from 9,526 to 5,578.

Attendance at 3MSP

Seventeen States Parties from the region attended the Third Meeting of States Parties in Managua, Nicaragua: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. Delegations from Chile and Uruguay attended the meeting but these states were still waiting for the six-month period to end prior to full entry-into-force of the convention. Cuba attended the meeting as an observer.

UN First Committee Voting for 2001

The draft resolution on implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty (document A/C.1/56/L.34) was adopted on 31 October 2001 by the First Committee (Disarmament) of the UN General Assembly in a vote of 121 in favor to none against, with 19 abstentions. Of the thirty-five countries of the Americas, twenty-four countries voted in favor: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Cuba and the United States abstained. Nine countries from the region were absent during the vote: Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Honduras, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.