The United Nations Mercenary Convention, officially the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries, is a 2001 United Nations treaty that prohibits the recruitment, training, use, and financing of mercenaries. At the 72nd plenary meeting on 4 December 1989, the United Nations General Assembly concluded the convention as its resolution 44/34. The convention entered into force on 20 October 2001[1] and has been ratified by 46 states.
The convention extends on the Geneva Conventions Protocol I which in Article 47(1) states that a mercenary cannot be a lawful combatant or prisoner of war.[2]
Article 1 of the Convention has the following definition of a mercenary:
As of August 2021, the convention had been ratified by 37 states, and signed but not ratified by 9 states.
Below are the states that have signed, ratified or acceded to the convention.[3] [4]
Country | Signing date | Ratification date | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
data-sort-value="1990-02-02" | February 5, 1990 | data-sort-value="1995-08-21" | August 21, 1995 | ||
data-sort-value="1990-03-12" | March 12, 1990 | ||||
data-sort-value="1990-03-20" | March 20, 1990 | Signed as Zaire; successor state is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. | |||
data-sort-value="1990-04-04" | April 4, 1990 | ||||
data-sort-value="1990-07-17" | July 17, 1990 | data-sort-value="1991-09-11" | September 11, 1991 | ||
data-sort-value="1990-07-20" | July 20, 1990 | Signed as the People's Republic of the Congo; successor state is the Republic of the Congo. | |||
data-sort-value="1990-09-21" | September 21, 1990 | data-sort-value="1993-09-13" | September 13, 1993 | Signed as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. | |
data-sort-value="1990-10-05" | October 5, 1990 | ||||
data-sort-value="1990-02-27" | February 27, 1990 | data-sort-value="1990-08-10" | August 10, 1990 | ||
data-sort-value="1990-11-20" | November 20, 1990 | data-sort-value="1999-07-14" | July 14, 1999 | ||
data-sort-value="1990-12-12" | December 12, 1990 | ||||
data-sort-value="1990-12-13" | December 13, 1990 | data-sort-value="1992-07-10" | July 10, 1992 | ||
data-sort-value="1990-12-13" | December 13, 1990 | data-sort-value="1997-05-28" | May 28, 1997 | Signed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. | |
data-sort-value="1990-12-17" | December 17, 1990 | ||||
data-sort-value="1990-12-21" | December 21, 1990 | data-sort-value="1996-01-01" | January 1, 1996 | ||
data-sort-value="1990-12-28" | December 28, 1990 | ||||
data-sort-value="1991-02-25" | February 25, 1991 | ||||
data-sort-value="1990-12-28" | December 28, 1990 | ||||
data-sort-value="1993-07-08" | July 8, 1993 | ||||
data-sort-value="1995-06-08" | June 8, 1995 | ||||
data-sort-value="1996-09-18" | September 18, 1996 | ||||
data-sort-value="1997-04-12" | April 12, 1997 | ||||
data-sort-value="1997-04-14" | April 14, 1997 | With reservations. | |||
data-sort-value="1998-01-19" | January 19, 1998 | ||||
data-sort-value="1998-02-09" | February 9, 1998 | ||||
data-sort-value="1999-03-26" | March 26, 1999 | ||||
data-sort-value="1999-07-09" | July 9, 1999 | ||||
data-sort-value="2000-03-27" | March 27, 2000 | ||||
data-sort-value="2000-09-22" | September 22, 2000 | Signed as the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. | |||
data-sort-value="2001-03-12" | March 12, 2001 | data-sort-value="2016-01-14" | January 14, 2016 | Signed as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. | |
data-sort-value="2001-09-20" | September 20, 2001 | ||||
data-sort-value="2002-04-12" | April 12, 2002 | ||||
data-sort-value="2002-05-05" | May 5, 2002 | With reservations. | |||
data-sort-value="2003-06-18" | June 18, 2003 | ||||
data-sort-value="2004-09-22" | September 22, 2004 | ||||
data-sort-value="2005-09-16" | September 16, 2005 | ||||
data-sort-value="2006-02-28" | February 28, 2006 | With reservations. | |||
data-sort-value="2006-10-23" | October 23, 2006 | ||||
data-sort-value="2007-03-23" | March 23, 2007 | ||||
data-sort-value="2007-09-02" | September 2, 2007 | ||||
data-sort-value="2008-01-19" | January 19, 2008 | With reservations. | |||
data-sort-value="2013-11-12" | November 12, 2013 | ||||
data-sort-value="2016-12-12" | December 12, 2016 | ||||
data-sort-value="2019-01-21" | January 21, 2019 | ||||
data-sort-value="1990-04-01" | April 1, 2008 | ||||
data-sort-value="2020-11-23" | November 23, 2020 | With reservations. |