Mine Ban Treaty

The treaty's full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, adopted in 1997. It is also called the Ottawa Convention, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, or simply the Mine Ban Treaty.

It does more than prohibit. Article 4 requires each state to destroy its stockpiled anti-personnel mines, and Article 5 requires it 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 convention enters into force for that state. Article 7 adds a duty to report to the United Nations Secretary-General. Deadlines can be extended, and many states have needed extensions, which is why some completions come decades after signing.

This is what a declaration of being mine-free actually certifies: that a state has completed its Article 5 clearance obligation. It is a statement about anti-personnel mines specifically, because that is all the treaty covers. Anti-vehicle mines and unexploded ordnance fall outside it, so clearance and safety are related but not the same claim.