Conference of the States Parties

DECISION

ATTENDANCE BY NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS AT THE SIXTH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE STATES PARTIES

1. NGOs will be responsible for all expenses relating to their attendance at the Sixth Session of the Conference;

2. representatives of NGOs will be invited (subject to the decision of the Conference) to attend public meetings of the plenary sessions of the Conference;

3. NGOs will be issued with name tags, which must be worn within the Netherlands Congress Centre (NCC);

4. the names of NGOs will not appear on desks/tables in the conference rooms;

5. NGOs will not have the right to address meetings of the Conference;

6. NGOs may place literature for distribution only at designated places outside the conference rooms in the NCC; and

7. NGOs may have access to all documents mentioned in the annotated agenda and distributed during the Sixth Session of the Conference except for the following: documents marked "Member States Only"; conference room papers, or other draft documentation; unofficial documents; and all Executive Council documents, unless mentioned in the annotated agenda.

Annex (English only): List of non-governmental organisations

1.

Green Cross International (GCI) is a global, non-aligned networking organisation working in the area of environment and sustainable development. It creates partnerships to promote global value change. Multisectoral dialogue is the basic GCI principle for implementing sustainable projects. It therefore acts as an open forum, bringing together decision makers and grassroots movements from all sectors of society (NGOs, business and other groups) in a unique platform. GCI was initiated at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, and was officially launched in Kyoto, Japan, on 20 April 1993, under the leadership of GCI President, Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

In addition to other international programmes, since 1994, GCI has been running the "Legacy Programme," which addresses issues resulting from the arms race during the Cold War. One component of the Legacy Programme is "Chemtrust", a joint initiative of the US, Russian, and Swiss Green Cross. Chemtrust aims to further CW disarmament by bringing together all sectors involved in the process, and by serving as a non-partisan mediator helping to resolve issues of conflict. Regular discussion partners include ministries in the US, in the Russian Federation, and in Switzerland. GCI has organised several hearings and roundtable discussions on national CW disarmament programmes in Saratov, Izhevsk, Washington, and Indianapolis.

2.

The HSP is an international collaborative programme of research and communication that seeks to enhance international awareness and understanding of public policy issues associated with chemical and biological weapons. Its aim is to promote the global elimination of chemical and biological weapons, and to strengthen the constraints against hostile uses of biomedical technologies. The programme focuses on the implementation of the two global CBW disarmament and anti-proliferation treaties – the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

The HSP is directed jointly from Harvard University in the United States, and the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. The HSP conducts, sponsors, and otherwise encourages scholarly research within a wide range of CBW topics, and publishes a quarterly journal, the CBW Conventions Bulletin. A section of this bulletin reports on the progress made in the work of the OPCW. The HSP also convenes the Pugwash Study Group on the Implementation of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions, and participates in international specialist seminars and workshops. The programme also supports a researcher at the OPCW Secretariat in The Hague.

3.

The IFUW is an international non-profit women’s organisation founded in 1919, whose aims include the promotion of peace. Comprising national federations and associations, local branches and individual members, the IFUW offers educated women opportunities to reach their full potential to contribute to society. The mission of the IFUW is to empower women and girls through education, and development for leadership – locally, nationally and globally. The IFUW has consultative status with the UN ECOSOC.

4.

LAWS is a private, non-partisan NGO that advocates prudent and practical policies designed to reduce the dangers posed by nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in a post-Cold War era. LAWS regularly conducts consultations with senior government officials, parliamentarians, and scholars in North America, Europe, northeast Asia, India, and Russia to assist in the development and implementation of policies intended to bolster the nuclear non-proliferation treaty regime, to promote nuclear arms control and disarmament, and to encourage the development of the rule of law in Russia. LAWS programes are recognised in many countries as valuable and impartial efforts that contribute to the cause of non-proliferation, arms control, and disarmament.

The Center for Non-proliferation Studies (CNS) at the Monterey Institute is the largest non-governmental programme in the USA devoted exclusively to research and training on non-proliferation issues. The mission of the CNS is to combat the international proliferation of nuclear, missile, biological, and chemical weapons technologies. Established in 1989, the centre provides research tools, analysis, training, and education on non-proliferation issues to scholars and policy-makers.

The CBW Non-proliferation Project at the CNS monitors the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons, and develops strategies for halting and reversing their spread. Current research activities cover the following areas: (1) overcoming the political, financial and environmental obstacles to chemical disarmament in Russia; (2) assessing procedures for on-site monitoring of compliance with the BWC; and (3) exploring motivations for the acquisition and use of CBW by states and by terrorist organisations. The project also teaches on the technical aspects of CBW proliferation, including an annual workshop for Monterey Institute graduate students.

6.

SIPRI conducts scientific research on questions of conflict and cooperation that are of importance to international peace and security. Its aim is to contribute to an understanding of the conditions required for the peaceful solution of international conflicts, and for stable peace. SIPRI has built its reputation on its competence, its professional skill, and on the collection of hard data and precise facts; it provides accessible, impartial information on weapons developments, arms transfers and production, and on military expenditure, as well as on arms limitations, reductions, and disarmament.

SIPRI has been involved in CBW disarmament research for over 30 years, and has conducted major research that supported the implementation of the CWC, in many cases with the active participation of PrepCom representatives. The Chemical and Biological Warfare (CBW) Project is one of SIPRI’s longest-running research projects, focusing on developments in chemical and biological weapons, and on their actual or alleged use and acquisition, as well as on efforts to obtain effective disarmament measures aiming at their total elimination. After the conclusion of the CWC in 1992, SIPRI identified the following research areas: (a) the implementation and verification of the Convention; (b) the destruction of chemical weapons; (c) old chemical weapons and toxic armament wastes; (d) countering proliferation; and (e) strengthening the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

7.

While maintaining a watching brief on all aspects of verification and related issues, the Centre specialises in three areas:

Peace and Security

This encompasses the verification and monitoring of international and intra-national peace agreements.

Arms Control and Disarmament

This covers the verification and monitoring of the whole range of multilateral agreements that seek to limit or ban conventional armaments and weapons of mass destruction. Vertic’s current projects pertain to: the verification of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; the strengthening of nuclear safeguards; the negotiation of a verification protocol to the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention; and monitoring the implementation of the 1997 Landmine Convention.

The Environment

This area of Vertic’s work covers any multilateral environmental agreement that has a requirement or provisions for the monitoring and verification of compliance.

8.

One of the statutory objectives of the WVF is to maintain international peace and security through the application of the Charter of the United Nations, and through respect for human rights, and the fundamental liberties contained in the Declaration on Human Rights. One of its main areas of interest is disarmament, and particularly weapons of mass destruction. Through its members and associations in various countries, the WVF informs authorities and public opinion about the Convention. The WVF has consultative status with the UN Social and Economic Council. Its current goal is to promote action by those countries which have not yet ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention.