OPCW Director-General Addresses the United Nations General Assembly's First Committee

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly's First Committee on 17 October 2007, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Pfirter, stated that “Our States Parties can be rightly proud of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the OPCW as examples of the success multilateralism can achieve.” Director-General Pfirter thanked the States Parties for their enthusiastic commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the CWC's entry into force, which demonstrated both the widely shared recognition of the OPCW's concrete achievements during the first ten years after its establishment, as well as the broad support that the CWC enjoys amongst the great majority of the members of the international community.

In a comprehensive statement regarding the CWC’s implementation through the OPCW, Director-General Pfirter highlighted the Organisation’s achievements in disarmament and non-proliferation, including the verified destruction of over one third of all declared chemical weapons, the completion of over 1,800 on-site inspections carried out in connection with chemical demilitarisation and a further 1,300 on-site inspections of chemical industrial facilities in 80 countries. He underscored the crucial importance of the OPCW’s efficient industry inspection regime that promotes confidence among States Parties that chemical industry engages only in legitimate and peaceful activities, thus advancing the CWC’s security goals. He thanked the global chemical industry whose cooperation was vital in this area.

Noting that the CWC’s two other important pillars, international cooperation and assistance, are of particular importance to many Member States whose economies are developing or in transition. Ambassador Pfirter reported on the OPCW’s programmes that build national capacities to pursue legitimate chemical industrial activity as well as its activities to implement provisions on assistance and protection. In this context, he recalled that among the contemporary security threats, the possibility that non-state actors could use chemical weapons has created a renewed interest in the OPCW’s ability to coordinate the delivery of emergency assistance to States Parties in case of an attack or the threat of an attack with chemical weapons.

In his statement, Ambassador Pfirter characterized the CWC’s effective national implementation as an important factor in the success of a global chemical weapons ban, and represents a vital contribution to global counter-terrorism efforts. In conclusion, the Director-General expressed his firm conviction that although significant challenges exist that would need to be addressed effectively in the near and the long term, the support and commitment demonstrated by OPCW Member States should inspire the collective energies to deal with other major priorities in the area of international peace and security including the promotion of disarmament and non-proliferation.

PR105/2007

Categories: OPCW and the UN