The National Authority of Colombia and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are jointly conducting the Sixth Regional Meeting of National Authorities in Latin America and the Caribbean from 21 to 22 April 2005 in Cartagena, Colombia.
Following the meetings held in 2000 in Lima, Peru, in Viña del Mar, Chile, 2001; in Brasilia, Brazil, 2002; in Panama City, Panama, 2003; and in La Paz, Bolivia, 2004, the Sixth Regional Meeting is intended to enhance and expand compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The Meeting fosters cooperation among National Authorities so that they can achieve the targets set out in the OPCW Action Plan on National Implementation. The Convention foresees that all States that are party to the Convention must enact national legislation and establish the regulatory and administrative measures at the national level to deter any breach of the CWC’s ban on chemical weapons and their proliferation. In the event such a crime should occur, the States Parties must be able to pursue, prosecute and punish any transgression.
At the same time, the treaty’s international verification and non-proliferation regime depend upon the ability of the States Parties to both identify and declare relevant industrial facilities and activities on their territories that are subject to CWC regulation, as well as their full compliance with these provisions.
The Sixth Meeting of Regional National Authorities will aid in identifying common implementation problems and resolving them cooperatively. National Authorities will also review the progress made towards meeting the targets set by the National Implementation Action Plan, in order to further develop their own national implementation capacities.
In his opening statement to the Sixth Regional Meeting, OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, stressed that a global ban on chemical weapons can only hope to succeed when the national legislation, regulatory measures and an effective infrastructure are in place to ensure that no one can exploit a gap in the law or in the deterrent capacity of any State Party. He recognized the commitment the Member States within the Latin American and Caribbean region have made to the full and effective implementation of the CWC and encouraged these nations to continue working on a day-to-day basis to ensure that the goals set by the CWC are realized in full.
Director-General Pfirter recalled the target date for the completion of Action Plan on National Implementation, 7 November 2005, and called upon all States Parties to re-double their efforts to identify and cooperatively address any implementation challenges that may exist in a timely fashion as the Convention’s deterrent effect and protection can only then be realized when all States Parties are capable of effectively the implementing the CWC.
11/2005