The Hague,15 January 2003

Tenth Anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Ban

Ten years ago, on 13 January 1993, the Chemical Weapons Convention, banning the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons, was opened for signature in Paris.

The Convention entered into force fifty months later on 29 April 1997. Today, 148 countries are members of this community of nations, which collectively resolved to never allow chemical weapons to threaten humanity again.

In the five years since the agency established to implement Convention, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), commenced operations, over one-quarter of the eight million munitions and over one-tenth of the 70 million kilograms of chemical agent, declared to the OPCW as chemical weapons, have been verifiably destroyed. This destruction is monitored by the Organisation’s inspectors to ensure compliance with the Convention’s stipulation that the chemical weapons’ destruction is irreversible. All of the declared former chemical weapons production facilities have been de-activated. Two-thirds of these facilities have been destroyed or converted or are awaiting destruction or conversion.

In total, the Organisation has conducted over 1,300 inspections on the territory of over 50 States Parties during missions now totalling more than 75,000 inspector days, or over 205 inspector years. In addition, the Organisation has conducted over 500 inspections of industrial sites in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.

As a part of the Convention’s mandate, the Organisation also provides States Parties with advice, assistance and protection in the event any State Party is either threatened with chemical attack or actually suffers a chemical attack.

In an effort to promote the peaceful uses of chemistry the Organisation also facilitates international cooperation and the peaceful trade in chemicals.

“Much has been achieved since the Organisation’s founding, yet many challenges lie ahead.” OPCW Director-General Rogelio Pfirter noted. The First Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention will convene from 28 April to 9 May 2003. “The First Review Conference”, Mr Pfirter stated, “ will provide States Parties with a timely opportunity to demonstrate their unwavering support for this Convention and the chemical weapons ban, which proves itself to be of particular value now that concerns about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are increasing.”