The Hague, 12 September 2003

Sao Tome and Principe Joins The Chemical Weapons Convention

The United Nations Secretary-General, as Depositary of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), has announced that Sao Tome and Principe had deposited their instrument of accession to the CWC on 9 September 2003.

On 9 October 2003, Sao Tome and Principe will become the 154th State Party to the Convention, and a Member State of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The accession of Sao Tome and Principe, now the 37th Member State from the African region, represents a further step towards the Convention’s universality on the African continent, a goal reiterated by the African Union in its Summit conferences held in Durban, 2002, and Maputo, 2003. Universal adherence to the Convention is a crucial element in achieving the goal of a chemical weapons-free world.

Sao Tome and Principe will now be eligible to benefit from the OPCW’s international cooperation and assistance programmes that provide for support in implementing the Convention’s legislative and administrative stipulations, as well as providing for protection and assistance in case of a chemical weapons attack or the threat of attack. Effective implementation of the Convention also strengthens the global chemical weapons non-proliferation regime.

In 2003, the Organisation’s membership has been expanded by the accession or ratification of seven new States Parties: Sao Tome and Principe, Tonga, Timor Leste, Andorra, Guatemala, Palau, and Thailand. The Convention entered into force on 29 April 1997. Since that date, an additional 67 new States Parties have pledged to renounce chemical weapons. 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.