The Hague, 29 April 2003

Chemical Weapons Convention Enters Seventh Year

Six years after becoming international law on 29 April 1997, the Chemical Weapons Convention now serves over 90% of the global population and over 98% of global chemical industry is subject to its verification regime. The Chemical Weapons Convention had been opened for signature in Paris just over ten years ago in January 1993. The international body that implements the Convention, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), has grown rapidly since 1997 and now numbers 151 Member States.

The OPCW has a vital task to complete: five States Parties have declared over 70,000 metric tones of chemical warfare agent filled into 8.6 million munitions and containers that those States Parties are obligated to destroy. These chemical weapons have been entirely inventoried and are re-inspected systematically to provide confidence that there has been no loss or diversion of these weapons awaiting destruction. Over 10% of chemical warfare agents and over 25% of the munitions containing these agents have already been destroyed under continuous verification by the OPCW. Progress in the destruction of global chemical weapons production capacity has also been significant. All of the declared chemical weapons production facilities has been deactivated and can no longer produce these weapons. Over two-thirds of the declared chemical weapons production plants have either been destroyed or converted to peaceful purposes. In the past six years, over 880 inspections have been undertaken at more than 160 chemical weapons related sites around the globe.

In addition the OPCW also monitors global chemical industry to ensure that dual-use chemicals, necessary for civilian applications, are not misused to produce new chemical weapons. Since 1997, the OPCW has conducted a total of over 550 inspections at over 445 industrial facilities on the territory of 52 States Parties to the Convention. In undertaking this global task, the OPCW inspection teams are active from sub-polar to tropical regions on all continents.

Since entry into force, a concept to provide assistance and protection to any requesting State Party that has been threatened by chemical weapons attack or suffered such an attack continues to develop. Over one million Euros has been contributed to the Voluntary Fund for Assistance specifically for this purpose. Thirty-three States Parties offered assistance that can be utilised should any State Party require assistance and protection against chemical weapons.

Since 1997, the OPCW has conducted training courses, workshops and seminars on the drafting of implementing legislation, submitting industry declarations and on the transfer of dual-use chemicals, in addition to supporting research projects, developing national capacity to implement the Convention, facilitating the establishment of National Authorities and in the exchange of scientific and technical information relating to the development and application of chemistry for peaceful purposes.

In The Hague, the Netherlands, the OPCW has convened the First Chemical Weapons Review Conference. The operation of the Convention’s implementation must be reviewed on a regular basis to monitor advances in science or technology and to ensure that the chemical weapons ban remains viable in a changing technological environment. The Review Conference commenced on 28 April and will close on 9 May 2003. On the occasion of the First Review Conference, OPCW Director-General, Rogelio Pfirter, urged the States Parties to the Review Conference to “send a clear and strong message to States not Party, stressing the need for and the desirability of their early adherence to the Convention.”