Non-Proliferation of Chemical Weapons
Non-proliferation of chemical weapons, through the application of the verification and implementation measures provided for in the Convention which also serve to build confidence between States Parties.
News and articles related to non-proliferation and Article VI of the Chemical Weapons Convention
OPCW Director-General Welcomes Continued EU Support for OPCW Activities
15 December 2009The EU Council Decision 2009 supports concrete projects that will endorse and strengthen the multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation measures of the CWC.
OPCW Director-General Meets Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Addresses NATO Conference in Warsaw
10 December 2009The NATO conference attracted 170 senior officials representing more than 40 NATO and partner nations, including from the organisation’s Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, the Gulf Cooperation Council and...
Workshop on Matters Related to Other Chemical Production Facilities (OCPFs)
08 December 2009On the second day of the workshop participants visited two OCPF sites – namely, Shell Nederland Chemie in Rotterdam and Chemtura in Amsterdam - as well as the OPCW laboratory in Rijswijk
Declarations adviser
The Declarations Handbook was developed to provide clear and simple guidance for the preparation of declarations to be made by States Parties in accordance with the requirements of the Convention. The Declarations Handbook incorporates the declaration requirements of the Convention and all relevant decisions and understandings in relation to such requirements agreed upon by the OPCW policy-making organs since entry into force of the Convention. This publication updates the previous version of the Declarations Handbook, issued in November 2002.
The Handbook on Chemicals was developed to facilitate the efforts of National Authorities, Customs Authorities and industry to identify individual chemicals, covered by the schedules in the Annex on Chemicals of the CWC. The Handbook on Chemicals has undergone a major revision since the previous version. The 2009 version incorporates information on all 1329 scheduled chemicals and riot control agents declared to the Technical Secretariat from 1997 until February 2009.
A list of scheduled chemicals of particular interest because of their trade. Information on commercial applications and industrial uses was gathered from a variety of open sources but of course it does not cover all possible applications.
The Electronic Declarations software for National Authorities (EDNA) has been developed in-house by the Technical Secretariat and is freely available for use by all States Parties for the creation of declarations required under Article VI. The Technical Secretariat will ensure that EDNA is kept current and updated to reflect applicable guidelines and any decisions made on the implementation of Article VI declaration requirements. To facilitate the use of EDNA, the Technical Secretariat will provide support and training to States Parties.
The Scheduled Chemicals Database is a tool developed by the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW to facilitate the identification of scheduled chemicals by National Authorities, customs authorities, and the chemical industry for the purposes of implementing the declaration and transfer provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
| States Parties which have declared Facilities | Declared Sites or Facilities | Inspections Conducted | Sites Inspected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule 1 | 22 | 27 | 204 | 36 |
| Schedule 2 | 37 | 431 | 491 | 254 |
| Schedule 3 | 35 | 479 | 281 | 234 |
| Other Chemicals Production Facilities, including DOC/PSF | 80 | 4,574 | 776 | 579 |
| Total | 5,511 | 1,752 | 1,103 |
Introduction
Non-proliferation of chemical weapons or their precursors is one of the fundamental tenets of the Chemical Weapons Convention. This is embodied in Article I of the Convention; paragraph 1 of that Article states (inter alia):
"Each State Party to this Convention undertakes never under any circumstances: (...) (d) To assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention."
In the context of the chemical industry, the Convention addresses this aspect in Article VI. Paragraph 2 of Article VI states:
"Each State Party shall adopt the necessary measures to ensure that toxic chemicals and their precursors are only developed, produced, otherwise acquired, retained, transferred, or used within its territory or in any other place under its jurisdiction or control for purposes not prohibited under this Convention. To this end, and in order to verify that activities are in accordance with obligations under this Convention, each State Party shall subject toxic chemicals and their precursors listed in Schedules 1, 2 and 3 of the Annex on Chemicals, facilities related to such chemicals, and other facilities as specified in the Verification Annex, that are located on its territory or in any other place under its jurisdiction or control, to verification measures as provided in the Verification Annex."
In principle, the verification process is intended (i) to serve as a confidence-building measure that each and every State Party is meeting its obligations under the Convention, and (ii) to have a deterrent effect on those having the intention to contravene the Convention's provisions.
The first aim of the verification process relevant to the chemical industry is achieved through the mechanisms set out in Parts VI, VII, VIII and IX of the Verification Annex of the Convention. In essence, the process involves the submission of declarations by the State Party in relation to specified activities taking place in its chemical industry. These declarations are the basis for carrying out data monitoring on and on-site inspections at the declared facilities on the territory of the State Party to verify that the activities are in accordance with the obligations under the Convention and consistent with the declared information.
The deterrent effect is achieved through a mechanism by which a State Party that has a concern regarding possible non-compliance with the Convention of another State Party can request that a challenge inspection be carried out under the rules set out in Part X of the Verification Annex. This is a unique feature in terms of multilateral disarmament treaties and makes the Chemical Weapons Convention the first international treaty that embodies such a provision.
It should be emphasised that the non-proliferation component of the Convention will be ineffectual if the authorities of all States Parties have not promulgated implementing legislation as required under the Convention, through appropriate procedures, in order to ensure that relevant information regarding its chemical industry is gathered and declared to the OPCW. In the absence of appropriate legislation a State Party will not only be powerless to punish those who contravene the provisions of the Convention but it will simply give encouragement to those predisposed to engage in illegal activities.
Inpections of Chemical Production Facilities
Schedule 1
The production of Schedule 1 chemicals shall be carried out only in a single small-scale facility approved by the State Party, and in other facilities as set forth in Part VI of the Verification Annex. Production of Schedule I chemicals at these facilities is subject to restrictions in terms of the amounts permitted to be produced and stored. These facilities are subject to systematic inspections by the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW. The OPCW has conducted 120 inspections at Schedule 1 facilities since Entry into Force of the Convention in April 1997.
Schedule 2
Schedule 2 facilities are subject to initial and subsequent inspections by the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW. The OPCW has conducted 225 inspections at these facilities since Entry into Force of the Convention in April 1997.
Schedule 3
Schedule 3 facilities are subject to inspections by the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW. The OPCW has conducted 105 inspections at these facilities since Entry into Force of the Convention in April 1997.
Discrete Organic Chemicals (DOC)
DOC facilities are subject to inspections by the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW. The OPCW has conducted 147 inspections at these facilities since 29 April 2000.