PR59: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ratifies the CWC

The Hague, 20 September 2002			Number 59

Press Release

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ratifies the CWC

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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines deposited its instrument of ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention with the United Nations Secretary-General on 18 September 2002. St Vincent and the Grenadines will become the 146th State Party to the Convention on 18 October 2002, thirty days after the deposit of its instrument of ratification.

It is the third member from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), after Dominica and Saint Lucia, to join the Convention. St Vincent and the Grenadines ratification provides fresh political impetus for other members of the OECS and the broader Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which have yet to ratify or accede to the Convention to follow suit.

The number of signatory States—those that have signed the Convention, but which have yet to ratify it—has now been reduced to 28.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) came into existence on 29 April 1997. Its deed of foundation—the Chemical Weapons Convention—aims to achieve four principal objectives: the elimination of chemical weapons and of the capacity to develop them, the verification of non-proliferation, international assistance and protection in the event of the use or threat of use of chemical weapons, and international cooperation and assistance in the peaceful use of chemistry.

For further information, please contact the Media and Public Affairs Branch at: +31 70 416-3300,

or e-mail to: media@opcw.org

Media and Public Affairs Branch
OPCW Technical Secretariat, Johan de Wittlaan 32, 2517 JR The Hague, The Netherlands

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