The Sixtieth-First Session of the United Nations General Assembly’s First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) adopted unanimously on 23 October 2006, a resolution on the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The resolution, introduced by Poland, noted with satisfaction that five more States have ratified or acceded to the Convention in the past year, bringing the total number of States party to the CWC to 179 and called upon all States that have not yet done so to become parties to the Convention without delay. Since the resolution’s text was adopted, the Central African Republic became the 180th State to join the CWC on 20 October 2006.
The resolution states 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 Committee highlighted that all possessors of chemical weapons, chemical weapons production facilities or chemical weapons development facilities, including previously declared possessor States, should be among the States parties to the Convention, and welcomed progress to that end.
Through the full and effective implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention’s provisions on national implementation and on delivering assistance and protection against chemical weapons, the First Committee’s Resolution emphasizes that the CWC constitutes an important contribution to the efforts of the United Nations in the global fight against terrorism.
The States Parties’ obligation to destroy chemical weapons and to destroy or convert chemical weapons production facilities within the time limits provided for by the Convention is reaffirmed by the Resolution.
It also noted the progress States Parties made in their national implementation of the Plan of Action to fulfil their legislative and administrative obligations under the CWC. The Committee commended the States Parties and the Technical Secretariat for assisting other States Parties in their efforts to achieve full implementation and urged 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 reaffirmed the importance of the CWC’s 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 Committee also marked through this resolution its appreciation for 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 decision by the Tenth Conference of the Conference of States Parties to the CWC, held in November 2005, to approve the appointment of Rogelio Pfirter as OPCW Director General of the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW was welcomed, noting with appreciation the substantial contribution of the Technical Secretariat and the Director-General to the continued development and success of the Organization.
States Parties’ preparatory work for the Second Review Conference in 2008 was similarly welcomed. Attention was drawn to Tenth Anniversary of the CWC’s entry into force on 29 April 2007, which provides a special occasion to publicly renew commitment to the multilateral-treaty system and to the object and purpose of the Convention, and will include the unveiling of a Permanent Memorial to All Victims of Chemical Weapons in The Hague on 9 May 2007.
The cooperation between the United Nations and the OPCW was hailed and the First Committee decided to include further discussion on the implementation of the Convention in its provisional agenda for its forthcoming 62nd session in 2007.
PR79 / 2006