African National Authorities Meeting Held in Abuja, Nigeria

The Third Regional Meeting of National Authorities of States Parties in Africa, held in Abuja, Nigeria, on 20 and 21 October 2005, was jointly organised by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Over 42 representatives from 24 Member States attended the Meeting. In addition, observers from one contracting State Party —the Democratic Republic of Congo— and two States not Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) —Angola and Liberia— attended the meeting.

Personnel from National Authorities, involved in the daily, national implementation of the CWC, had the opportunity to strengthen their implementation support network and to continue their discussions of the implementation-related issues undertaken by African National Authorities at their earlier meetings held respectively in Khartoum, the Sudan, in April 2003 and Harare, Zimbabwe in October 2004.

Within this framework, National Authority representatives sought to identify regional priorities and requirements for sustained technical assistance to States Parties in Africa, in order to enable the capacity-building required for the effective implementation of the Convention and for the development of the peaceful uses of chemistry. This forum also serves to identify common areas where support for national implementation may be required.

In Africa, issues relating to effectively implementing the provisions of the CWC including the establishment of a National Authority, the drafting and enactment of comprehensive legislation, the submission of industrial declarations, the necessary measures for the control of the import and export of chemicals are particularly relevant in ensuring that the CW is effectively applied by all States Parties. The OPCW’s Technical Secretariat has been working with African Member States, bilaterally as well as on a regional basis, to provide support in implementing their obligations.

In his message to the meeting, the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, said, “You are meeting at a very crucial time. In less than two weeks, the Tenth Session of the Conference of the States Parties (CSP) will meet in The Hague, and among many important issues, it will discuss the Plan of Action regarding the implementation of Article VII obligations by all Member States. Since the Plan of Action was adopted at the Eighth Session of the CSP in 2003, the Technical Secretariat and Member States have displayed excellent cooperation in providing assistance. The Technical Secretariat through a broad range of support activities has endeavoured to provide assistance to the extent the budget and human resources have permitted it. The Technical Secretariat will continue providing implementation support to Member States in the future as well”. The Director-General further noted in his message that “progress in the implementation of Article VII obligations in Africa is gaining momentum. However, more needs to be done by a vast majority of Member States for the goal of full and effective implementation to become a reality”.

In his opening address to the representatives of African National Authorities, H.E. Chief U.J. Ekaette, Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Federal Republic of Nigeria, stated that “States Parties in Africa need capacity building to effectively implement the Convention. This can be achieved through the international cooperation and assistance programmes of the OPCW as well as bilateral and multilateral support from the developed States Parties. The pending request by African States Parties for the establishment of a Regional Office in Africa should be vigorously pursued as it would help bridge the communication gap between the OPCW and African States Parties and among the African States Parties themselves, thus leading to enhanced performance in the region. It is satisfying to note that 43 of the 53 African countries are parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. This forum should, therefore, adopt a strategy for the universality of the Convention to ensure that all the outstanding non-signatory States in Africa become parties to the Convention”.

62/2005

Categories: Africa, National implementation