In front of the UN headquarters in Geneva, stands a gigantic three-legged chair. It is a stark reminder of the destruction caused by land mines. The chair was supposed to stand until every country signed the Mine Ban Treaty or the Ottawa Treaty -- the international agreement that bans antipersonnel landmines. Officially entitled The Convention on the Prohibition, Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on Their Destruction, the treaty is sometimes referred to as the Ottawa Convention. In December 1997, 122 governments signed the treaty in Ottawa, Canada. It entered into force and became binding under international law in March 1999, doing so quicker than any other previous treaty of its kind. The Treaty is still open for ratification by signatories and for accession by those who did not sign before March 1999. As of 15 August 2007, there are 157 signatories and 155 ratifications or accessions to the Ottawa Treaty. There are currently 38 countries that have not signed the treaty, but are able now to assent.
