Demilitarisation
Elimination of chemical weapons stockpiles and chemical weapons production facilities subject to the verification measures provided for in the Convention.
News and articles related to chemical demilitarisation
The Russian Government Approves a Revised Chemical Weapons Destruction Programme
15 June 2001On 14 June 2001, the government of the Russian Federation finally adopted its revised chemical weapons destruction programme. Accordingly, the destruction of the Russian chemical weapons stockpile, which has already commenced on...
Old Chemical Weapons Removed from Vimy, France
17 April 2001The OPCW has received information about the leakage of chemical agent from old chemical weapons stored in the north-eastern part of France near the small town of Vimy. Fears for explosions and agent leakage at this site had last...
OPCW Council Recommends Accepting Delay in Russian Chemical Weapons Destruction: Calls for more international assistance for Russian destruction programme
12 April 2000The Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has agreed to recommend extending the deadline for the Russian Federation to destroy 1% of its Chemical Weapons.
Latest facts and figures
The 7 States Parties (A State Party,
Albania, India, Iraq, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the Russian Federation, and the United States of
America) which have declared chemical weapons must destroy 8.67
million items, including munitions and containers containing in total,
71,194 metric tonnes of extremely toxic chemical agents. Albania, India and a third country have completed destruction. By
comparison, a tiny drop of a nerve agent, no larger than the head of a pin, can kill an adult
human being within minutes after exposure.The OPCW verifies that the destruction process is
irreversible. At the same time, States Parties in the process of destroying chemical weapons
are obliged to place the highest priority on the safety of people and on protecting the
environment.
40,514, or
56.91%, of the world's declared stockpile of
71,194 metric tonnes of chemical agent have been verifiably destroyed. (As
at 31/01/2010)
3.93, or
45.33%, of the 8.67 million chemical
munitions and containers covered by the CWC have been verifiably destroyed. (As at
31/01/2010)
Chemical weapons declared and destroyed
| Chemical agent (metric tonnes) | Munitions/containers (million items) | |
|---|---|---|
| Declared | 71,194 | 8.67 |
| Destroyed | 40,514 | 3.93 |
Last updated : 31/01/2010 |
||
| States Parties which have declared Facilities | Declared Sites or Facilities | Inspections Conducted | Sites Inspected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Weapons Production Facilities | 13 | 70 | 415 | 67 |
| Chemical Weapon Destruction Facilities | 6 | 37 | 1,241 | 37 |
| Chemical Weapons Storage Facilities | 7 | 38 | 414 | 36 |
| Abandoned Chemical Weapons | 3 | 35 | 52 | 25 |
| Old Chemical Weapons | 13 | 47 | 90 | 30 |
| Total | 227 | 2,212 | 195 |
- From Entry into Force of the CWC (April 1997) until 31/01/2010, the OPCW has conducted 3,964 inspections on the territory of 81 States Parties, including 2,212 inspections of chemical weapon-related sites. 195 chemical weapon-related sites have been inspected out of a total of 227 declared.
- 100% of the declared chemical weapons stockpiles have been inventoried and verified.
- 177 initial declarations have been received.
- 100% of the declared chemical weapons production facilities (CWPFs) have been inactivated. All are subject to a verification regime of unprecedented stringency. 62 of the 70 CWPFs declared to the OPCW have been either destroyed (43) or converted for peaceful purposes (19). 13 States Parties have declared CWPFs: Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, France, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the Russian Federation, Serbia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, and another State Party.