Under the terms of the Convention, the OPCW undertakes many activities all over the world, including:

• working to convince those countries in the world that have not yet done so to join the Convention;
• checking and confirming the destruction of existing chemical weapons;
• monitoring certain activities in the chemical industry to reduce the risk of commercial chemicals being misused for weapons purposes;
• providing assistance and protection to member countries if they are attacked or threatened with attack by chemical weapons, including by terrorists; and
• promoting international cooperation for the peaceful uses of chemistry.

The OPCW plays an important role in limiting the methods of war by getting rid of one of the most horrible weapons and working towards the complete elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.

The OPCW is an independent international organisation, working in the interests of its Member States. The OPCW cooperates with the United Nations and, like the United Nations, the six official languages of the OPCW are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

All member countries contribute to the budget each year.

OPCW The Conference of the States Parties is the principal organ of the OPCW and makes major decisions about the Convention. It is composed of all member countries of the OPCW and usually meets once per year, or more frequently if necessary. The Executive Council is made up of the representatives of 41 member countries, who are elected to serve two-year terms. The Executive Council meets at least four times per year and takes the actions necessary to guide the OPCW's operations during the year. The Technical Secretariat assists the Conference and the Executive Council and has a staff of about 500 people. The Technical Secretariat carries out the daily work of implementing the Convention, including conducting inspections, which are carried out by around 200 inspectors. It also supports member countries in undertaking the national measures required to implement the CWC in their own countries.