The Hague, 15 July 1997

On 9 July, the Government of Ghana deposited its instrument of ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (Convention or CWC). The number of deposits of instruments of ratification or accession has now increased to ninety-seven. In addition, seventy States have signed the Convention but have yet to deposit their instruments of ratification.

The following ninety-six States, in alphabetical order, have already deposited their instruments of ratification or accession: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The former Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe.

The implementation of the Convention is being supervised by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which has been established in The Hague. The CWC, which was opened for signature in Paris in 1993, entered into force on 29 April 1997. The Convention prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition, retention, transfer and use of chemical weapons. It also provides for the total elimination of chemical weapons and related production facilities in all States Parties under international supervision within a specific time-frame. The CWC will be verified through a combination of detailed declaration requirements, routine inspections of declared chemical weapons and chemical industry facilities, as well as short notice challenge inspections at any place under the jurisdiction or control of any State Party.