Guinea-Bissau deposited its instrument of ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) with the Secretary General of the United Nations on 20 May 2008, and the Convention will enter into force for this State on 19 June 2008. It will thus become the 184th State Party to the CWC, reducing to 11 the number of States that still remain outside the CWC.
Guinea-Bissau’s decision to join the Convention constitutes an important step towards the universality of the Convention. The goal of universal adherence is to both strengthen the global chemical weapons ban, as well as the international community’s efforts to reinforce the norms against weapons of mass destruction.
As an OPCW Member State, Guinea-Bissau will benefit from OPCW’s international cooperation-and-assistance programmes, which aim to enhance each State Party’s national capacity to implement the Convention and to engage in the peaceful uses of chemistry. Guinea-Bissau is the 50th country in Africa to join the Convention with only three States in the region remaining outside its jurisdiction.
The Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force on 29 April 1997. As its implementing agency, the OPCW works towards achieving four principal objectives: to eliminate chemical weapons; to prevent their proliferation and re-emergence; to provide assistance and protection upon any State Party’s request in the event of the use, or threat of use, of chemical weapons; and to promote international cooperation in the peaceful uses of chemistry. Adherence to the Convention contributes to global peace and security, and its universal and effective implementation provides concrete benefits for all Member States.