Representatives from 114 States Parties convened at the 18th Annual Meeting of National Authorities last month at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague to discuss a variety of topics related to the effective implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
The CWC expressly forbids the use, development, transfer or stockpiling of chemical weapons by OPCW signatories. Since the convention’s signing in 1997 and with the assistance of its 192 States Parties participants, the CWC is the most successful disarmament treaty, eliminating 94 percent of chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor States.
The meetings provided a forum for national authorities across the world to share experiences and strategies used to enhance international CWC cooperation. OPCW Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü emphasized the importance national authorities play in effective CWC implementation, while requesting each nation double their efforts to prevent the re-emergence of chemical weapons use.
“States Parties will need to continue working together in finding effective solutions to emerging challenges and relying on the key norms enshrined in the Chemical Weapons Convention to do so,” Üzümcü said.
The three-day event saw more than 130 bilateral meetings between national authorities delegates and OPCW officials to address many of the ongoing challenges for effective CWC implementation and potential ways to overcome them. The agenda covered a variety of topics, including identification of declarable activities and resolving discrepancies in cross-border transfer of scheduled chemicals, enacting national implementation legislation, assistance and protection against chemical weapons, cooperation for both economic and technological development, education, and scientific advances.