Republic of the Congo Ratifies the Chemical Weapons Convention

The Republic of the Congo will soon become the 183rd State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The country deposited its instrument of ratification with the Secretary General of the United Nations on 4 December 2007, and the Convention will enter into force for this State on 3 January 2008.

As an OPCW Member State, the Republic of the Congo will benefit from OPCW’s international cooperation-and-assistance programmes, which aim to enhance each State Party’s national capacity to implement the Convention and to engage in the peaceful uses of chemistry.

The Republic of the Congo’s ratification takes the Convention a step closer to its gaining universal acceptance.
The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, has welcomed ratification by the Republic of the Congo as a contribution both to strengthening the norms established by the Convention and to advancing the cause of international peace and security. Director General Pfirter also called on the remaining twelve States that have not yet joined the CWC to do so as a matter of urgency.

To ensure a complete, global ban on chemical weapons, the OPCW has initiated an action plan to encourage every State to join the Convention. Since the action plan was adopted in October 2003, 28 States have become OPCW Member States.

The Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force on 29 April 1997, and its implementing agency, the OPCW, works towards achieving four principal objectives: to eliminate chemical weapons, to prevent their proliferation and re-emergence, to provide assistance and protection upon any State Party’s request in the event of the use, or threat of use, of chemical weapons, and to promote international cooperation in the peaceful use of chemistry. Adherence to the Convention contributes to global peace and security, and its universal and effective implementation provides concrete benefits for all Member States.

pr124/2007

Categories: Africa, Universality