Switzerland

The Swiss Confederation signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 24 March 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 March 1999. Switzerland formerly produced and imported antipersonnel mines but did not export any. Production ceased in 1969 and export of antipersonnel mines was banned in December 1996. Legislation to enforce the antipersonnel mine prohibition domestically was adopted on 13 December 1996 and subsequently amended to conform with the Mine Ban Treaty. Switzerland submitted its 14^th Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report on 30 April 2012.

Switzerland destroyed its stockpile of 3.85 million antipersonnel mines by 15 March 1999. It did not retain any antipersonnel mines for training or research purposes.

Switzerland was nominated as Secretary-General-Designate of the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties to be held in Geneva in December 2012. Switzerland has served as co-rapporteur and then co-chair of the Standing Committees on Stockpile Destruction (2001–2003), Victim Assistance (1999–2000 and 2004–2006), and Mine Clearance (2009–2011). Switzerland also served as President of the Ninth Meeting of States Parties in 2008.

Switzerland attended the treaty’s Eleventh Meeting of States Parties in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in November–December 2011 and the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in May 2012. Switzerland actively engaged in both meetings and made a number of statements, including about mine clearance and Article 5 extension requests, the implementation support unit, the discovery of previously unknown mined areas, and about cooperation and assistance.[1]

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