OPCW Director-General Addresses International Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Challenges in Milan

On 12 October 2006, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, addressed the International Conference on the Challenges of Disarmament and Non-proliferation at the invitation of the Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale (ISPI), in Milan, Italy.

The Conference, chaired by ISPI President, H.E. Ambassador Boris Biancheri Chiappori, gathered experts from all of the disciplines relating to the elimination of mass destruction weapons, including analysts from government and civil society. The Conference considered the current status of the global infrastructure of laws and agreements that limit the spread of weapons of mass destruction and call for their elimination.

In his keynote address, Director-General Pfirter noted that the Chemical Weapons Convention has established a system of uncompromising verification, coupled with the OPCW’s cooperative support for Member States. Underscoring the fact that OPCW Member States have made concrete progress towards the total elimination of chemical weapons for nearly a decade, he stated that this positive development clearly demonstrates that multilateral disarmament significantly improves security for present and future generations. He recalled that the Convention’s disarmament and non-proliferation regime has been proven to be practical and trustworthy; withstanding the test of time, due to the Convention’s ever expanding membership and the unfaltering political will of its States Parties to succeed.

Given the international community’s rising concern about the apparent resurgence in WMD proliferation, Director-General Pfirter suggested that the OPCW’s experience in non-discriminatory, cooperative, multilateral implementation may prove to be a useful model for other disarmament efforts.

In his concluding remarks, Director-General Pfirter stressed the motivation for the Convention’s full and effective implementation could be found in every security assessment, which highlighted the need for the chemical weapons ban’s diligent application. A lapse in States Parties’ vigilance could have dire consequences. He underlined the Convention’s contribution to the prevention of chemical terrorism, through effective cooperation with all nations and the United Nations.

Director-General Pfirter concluded by extending the Organisation’s support once again to any nation that may require it to be able to participate in a global verification system that actively deters illicit behaviour and protects the vulnerable.

PR68 / 2006

Categories: Disarmament, Non-proliferation of chemical weapons, Outreach