At a commemoration ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), more than 40 participants gathered from 29 Asian States Parties to offer robust cooperation practices to implement provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
Attendees also used the meeting to share various achievements, challenges experienced, and best practices they have used to further their mission of ridding the world of chemical weapons.
Hamza Khelif, director of the International Cooperation and Assistance Division for the OPCW, commended Asian States on its work to implement provisions of the CWC; more than 75 of which adopted CWC legislation in their respective houses of government. This region in particular has accounted for more than 40 percent of all OPCW inspections and is home to more than 60 percent of the world’s chemical production market.
Participants also discussed the recent incidents of chemical weapons use in Syria, Iraq and Malaysia, emphasizing that their re-emergence on the global stage should remain a dominant priority not only for the OPCW, but member states as well.
OPCW serves as the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Entered into force in 1997, the convention represents the most-successful disarmament treaty in history targeting an entire class of weapons. To date, approximately 95 percent of all chemical weapons stockpiles declares by OPCW’s 192 member states have been destroyed under the organization’s verification.