UN Secretary-General, OPCW Director-General Urge States not Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention to Join without Delay
The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and the OPCW Director-General, Mr. Ahmet Üzümcü at the high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York in October, 2012.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and the OPCW Director-General, Mr. Ahmet Üzümcü, have addressed a joint communication to the heads of State or Government of each of the eight States that are not Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. The letters underscore the importance of achieving the universality of the Convention as a condition necessary to attain a world free from chemical weapons. These States have, therefore, been strongly urged to join the Convention “without delay.”
The Convention currently has 188 States Party representing more than 98 per cent of the world’s population and chemical industry, leaving only Angola, Egypt, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan and Syria as the States that remain outside the treaty.
The letter states that “the continuing growth in the membership of the (OPCW)… is evidence that the prohibition against the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons constitutes a universal norm.” The letter further calls for the respective governments to undertake a commitment to the legally-binding prohibition against chemical weapons in order to consolidate these norms and to ensure that such weapons are never used again.
Achieving universality of the Convention is a priority goal of the both the OPCW and the United Nations. This was stressed at a high-level meeting held at the UN Headquarters in New York on 1 October to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention. Speaking on the occasion, the UN Secretary-General highlighted the importance of universality of the Convention and said that the use of chemical weapons by any country would be “an outrageous crime with dire consequences.”
Categories: OPCW and the UN
For further information, please contact Michael Luhan, Head, OPCW Media & Public Affairs. Tel: + 31 (0) 70 416 3710 or +31 (0)6 5356 8512 or media@opcw.org | ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS, Johan de Wittlaan 32, 2517 JR The Hague, The Netherlands
More news
First Laboratory Workshop in the Middle East for the Analysis of Chemicals Related to the CWC
The Technical Secretariat and the Government of Jordan co-organised a Laboratory Workshop for the Analysis of Chemicals Related to the Chemical Weapons Convention in Aqaba, Jordan from 4 to 15 November 2012. It was hosted by the...23 November 2012Full story
Minister of Economy of Slovakia Visits the OPCW
H.E. Mr. Tomáš Malatinskỳ, the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Slovakia, visited the OPCW Technical Secretariat in The Hague on 21 November 2012 and met with the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, and other...22 November 2012Full story
OPCW Director-General Addresses UN General Assembly
Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, the OPCW Director-General, visited New York on 19 November 2012 where he addressed the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. He submitted the annual report of the OPCW’s activities and...21 November 2012Full story
H.E. Mr Pierre-Louis Lorenz (Luxembourg)
H.E. Mr Pierre-Louis Lorenz, Permanent Representative of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to the OPCW, presented his credentials to the Director-General on 21 November, 2012.21 November 2012Full story
First OPCW Assistance-and-Protection Training for Instructors Held in The Hague
The first OPCW Assistance-and-Protection training for instructors was organised by the Technical Secretariat in The Hague from 12 to 16 November 2012. The course provided training to instructors from 27 States Parties* who will...20 November 2012Full story
Deputy Director-General Attends 94th Armistice Day Commemoration in Ieper
The Deputy Director-General, Mrs Grace Asirwatham, visited the Belgian town of Ieper on 11 November 2012 to represent the OPCW at the annual ceremony commemorating the end of World War I. The Deputy Director-General...16 November 2012Full story
H.E. Archbishop André Dupuy (Holy See)
H.E. Archbishop André Dupuy, Permanent Representative to the OPCW from the Holy See, presented his credentials to the Director-General on 16 November, 2012.16 November 2012Full story
President of Senegal Visits the OPCW
The President of the Republic of Senegal, H.E. Mr Macky Sall, visited the OPCW today and met with Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü and OPCW Permanent Representatives: H.E. Mr Willy Debuck of Belgium, Vice-Chair of the Conference of...14 November 2012Full story
Course on Chemical-Safety Management Held in Germany for States Parties in Africa
The Federal Foreign Office of Germany and the OPCW jointly organised a course on chemical-safety management for States Parties in Africa at the Department of Safety Engineering, Bergische Universität Wuppertal (BUW) from 5 to 9...13 November 2012Full story
H.E. Mr Bakhtiyar T.Gulyamov (Uzbekistan)
H.E. Mr Bakhtiyar T.Gulyamov, Permanent Representative to the OPCW from the Republic of Uzbekistan, presented his credentials to the Director-General on 12 November, 2012.12 November 2012Full story
OPCW news by e-mail
Are you subscribed already and wish to unsubscribe or update your profile?
