African States Parties’ Perspective on the Second Review Conference

Article submitted by the Mission of South Africa on behalf of the Group of African States Parties

African State Parties have demonstrated a strong commitment to the object and purpose of the CWC by making great strides in the implementation of their obligations under the Convention. As a result African State Parties had high expectations that the Second Review Conference would further strengthen the implementation of the Convention, including support provided to States Parties in this regard.

Despite the constraints which the Conference faced, such as accommodating a great number of competing interests, it was nonetheless able to produce a balanced Final Report. A number of elements are particularly encouraging from the African States Parties’ viewpoint:

• The Review Conference called for the Programme for Africa to be implemented as soon as possible and for regular feedback to be provided on the progress being made.
• In terms of equitable representation of States Parties’ nationals in the Technical Secretariat, the Second Review Conference requested that under-represented Regions and States Parties be taken into consideration when personnel are appointed.
• Regarding economic and technological development, the Conference urged the Executive Council to reach early agreement on the full implementation of Article XI and called for adequate funding to be made available for capacity building and transfer of skills programmes. The full implementation of this Article is of particular importance in view of the valuable contribution chemical industry could make to fast-tracking development on the African Continent.
• The Conference welcomed the use of regional and sub-regional capacities for assistance and protection against chemical weapons (Article X), and recognised the valuable role which the provisions of this Article can play in addressing other chemical incidents.
• On the issue of national implementation measures (Article VII), the Conference noted the significant progress which States Parties have made in implementing their obligations under the Convention. It also noted the value of continued cooperation and assistance to States Parties to implement their treaty obligations.
• The Conference took a balanced approach on the destruction of chemical weapons (Article IV). It welcomed the progress that has been made by possessor States but also expressed concern about the amount of chemical weapons remaining to be destroyed, and reaffirmed the responsibility of possessor States to destroy their stockpiles.

These are only some of the elements in the Final Report which highlight the thorough manner in which the implementation of the CWC was reviewed. Whether one agrees with the final outcome of the Conference or not, one thing is sure - the implementation of the CWC was comprehensively reviewed, which in itself made the Conference a success.

The Conference also reiterated the importance of upholding and strengthening the multilateral character of the Convention to ensure the widest possible participation of States Parties in all processes related to the Convention and its policy making organs. A truly multilateral culture is clearly essential for the continued successful implementation of the Convention.

With the Second Review Conference behind us the major challenge now facing States Parties is to implement the decisions and recommendations that were made in order to realise the full implementation of the Convention. African States Parties are ready and committed to working with other States Parties to achieve this.

Categories: Africa, RC-2