United Nations Mercenary Convention
At the 72nd plenary meeting on 4 December 1989 the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 44/34, the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries. It entered into force on 20 October 2001 and is usually known as the UN Mercenary Convention.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Definition of a mercenary
Article 1 of the Convention has the following definition of a mercenary:
1. A mercenary is any person who:
2. A mercenary is also any person who, in any other situation:
- (a) Is specially recruited locally or abroad in order to fight in an armed conflict;
- (b) Is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar rank and functions in the armed forces of that party;
- (c) Is neither a national of a party to the conflict nor a resident of territory controlled by a party to the conflict;
- (d) Is not a member of the armed forces of a party to the conflict; and
- (e) Has not been sent by a State which is not a party to the conflict on official duty as a member of its armed forces.
- (a) Is specially recruited locally or abroad for the purpose of participating in a concerted act of violence aimed at:
- (i) Overthrowing a Government or otherwise undermining the constitutional order of a State; or
- (ii) Undermining the territorial integrity of a State;
- (b) Is motivated to take part therein essentially by the desire for significant private gain and is prompted by the promise or payment of material compensation;
- (c) Is neither a national nor a resident of the State against which such an act is directed;
- (d) Has not been sent by a State on official duty; and
- (e) Is not a member of the armed forces of the State on whose territory the act is undertaken.
— UN Mercenary Convention[1]
One time Judge Advocate Todds S. Milliard has argued that the convention and Article 47 of Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I) are designed to cover the activities of mercenaries in post colonial Africa, and do not address adequately the use of private military companies by sovereign states.[2]
[edit] Signatories and Parties
These are the states that have signed, ratified or acceded to the convention[3][4].
[edit] See also
- Command responsibility
- Jus in bello
- Private military company
- Mercenary
- Unlawful combatant#Mercenaries
- Arms trade
[edit] References
- ^ a b International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries A/RES/44/34 72nd plenary meeting 4 December 1989 (UN Mercenary Convention) Entry into force: 20 October 2001 → Archived February 9, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Milliard, Todd S.; Overcoming post-colonial myopia: A call to recognize and regulate private military companies(PDF), in Military Law Review Vol 173, June 2003. At the time of publication Major Milliard was a Judge Advocate in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Army. Page 5. Paragraph 1
- ^ http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/WebSign?ReadForm&id=530&ps=P
- ^ http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/WebSign?ReadForm&id=530&ps=S
[edit] External links
 |
This United Nations-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
