Stockpile Destruction

What the Convention Says

Each State Party “undertakes to destroy or ensure the destruction of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines it owns or possesses, or that are under its jurisdiction or control, as soon as possible but not later than four years after the entry into force of this Convention for that State Party.”
Notwithstanding the obligation to destroy all stockpiled anti-personnel mines, under Article 3 States Parties may retain “a number of anti-personnel mines for the development of and training in mine detection, mine clearance, or mine destruction techniques.” This number “shall not exceed the minimum number absolutely necessary” for these purposes.
States Parties should "review the number of mines retained to ensure that they do not exceed the minimum number absolutely necessary for permitted purposes, and will destroy all anti-personnel mines that exceed that number. The States Parties will report annually by 30 April on the use of retained mines and on their destruction."
At the Fourth Review Conference, it was agreed that any State Party that discovers previously unknown stockpiles after stockpile destruction deadlines have passed will inform States Parties as soon as possible and destroy these anti-personnel mines as a matter of urgent priority and no later than six months after their discovery

The Fourth Review Conference noted that great strides have been made in destroying stockpiled anti-personnel mines since the Convention's entry into force and that each mine destroyed represents a potential life or limb saved. In this regard, the States Parties aimed to ensure that all stockpiled anti-personnel mines are expeditiously destroyed in line with Article 4 of the Convention.

Two States Parties (Greece and Ukraine) have missed their four-year deadline to destroy all stockpiled anti-personnel mines.
Combined, these States Parties must destroy several million mines.
Destroying a particular type of mine – the Soviet-era “PFM-1” mine – is extremely hazardous and poses serious technical difficulties.