The Hague, 20 May 2003

Tonga Joins the Chemical Weapons Convention

The United Nations Secretary-General, as Depositary of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), has announced the deposit, on 29 May 2003, of the instrument of accession of Tonga. On 28 June 2003, Tonga will become the 153rd State Party to the Convention, and a Member State of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Tonga is the eighth Pacific Island State to have joined this treaty that bans chemical weapons forever and stipulates the destruction of all chemical weapons stockpiles within a ten-year period ending 29 April 2007.

The Political Declaration approved by the First CWC Review Conference which concluded in The Hague on 9 May 2003 stresses that “universality of the Convention is fundamental to the achievement of its object and purpose”. The CWC States Parties pledged “to intensify their bilateral and multilateral efforts towards universality of the Convention” and urged “all States not Party to join the Convention without delay”. Tonga’s accession is a welcome development in the light of the international community’s call to all States to contribute to global efforts to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Tonga will now be eligible to benefit from the OPCW’s international cooperation and assistance programmes while its membership in and implementation of the Convention’s requirements will contribute to the strengthening of the global chemical weapons non-proliferation regime.

In the past eight months, the Organisation’s membership has been expanded by the accession or ratification of eight new States Parties: Tonga, Timor Leste, Andorra, Guatemala, Palau, Thailand, Samoa and St Vincent and the Grenadines. The continuing expansion of the membership of the Organisation in all regions of the world confirms the international community’s resolve to achieve the aims of this Convention.