ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with prohibitions with regard to weapons. Protocol II was amended in 1996 to extend the restrictions on landmine use to internal conflicts. Military and civilian objectives are, on the other hand, defined by traditional provisions in 1949 Geneva Conventions and in the 1977 Protocols. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan (UNOCHA) has devised a programme for developing mine awareness among civilians, especially children, and has contributed to mine clearance. Canada has provided much financial assistance as well as expert help for mine clearance and has established a Canadian Landmine Fund and special Canadian Landmine Action Programmes for numerous countries. The whole process of the Ottawa Convention, instigated by Canada, shows that individual initiatives from a single government can snowball support from Non-governmental organizations (NGO) and individuals, as well as from other States, enabling international society to deal with difficult weapons problems which so far had escaped effective regulation.
