The First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly adopts Resolution on the Chemical Weapons Convention

The Sixtieth Session of the United Nations General Assembly’s First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) adopted a draft resolution on the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The draft resolution, adopted unanimously on 12 October 2005, was introduced by Poland. It noted with satisfaction that seven additional States have ratified the Convention, or acceded to it, bringing the total number of States Parties to one hundred and seventy-four1. The resolution emphasizes that the universality of the Convention will contribute further to enhancing international peace and security by excluding completely, for the sake of all mankind, the possibility of the use of chemical weapons.

The First Committee Resolution stressed that the full and effective implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, including both its provisions on national implementation, as well as on delivering assistance and protection against chemical weapons, constitutes an important contribution to the efforts of the United Nations in the global fight against terrorism.

It also welcomed the progress made during the course of the Action Plan to enhance national implementation and commended the States Parties and the Technical Secretariat for assisting on request other States Parties with the implementation of their Convention obligations. The resolution also urges all States Parties that have not fulfilled their obligations under Article VII, to do so without further delay, in accordance with their constitutional processes.

The Resolution also reaffirmed the importance on Article XI provisions relating to the economic and technological developments of States Parties to foster international cooperation for peaceful purposes in the field of chemical activities.

The Resolution further underlined the importance to the Convention’s purpose of including among the States Parties to the Convention all possessors of chemical weapons, chemical weapons production facilities or chemical weapons development facilities, including previously-declared possessor States. Progress to that end was to be welcomed.

The Resolution appreciated the OPCW’s international verification of States Parties’ compliance with the Convention and the Organisation’s work to provide a forum for consultation and cooperation among States Parties.

The cooperation between the United Nations and the OPCW was welcomed and the First Committee decided to include further discussion on the implementation of the Convention in its provisional agenda for its forthcoming sixty-first session.

1 As of 11 November 2005, the OPCW will number 175 States Parties when the CWC will enter into force for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

63/2005

Categories: OPCW and the UN