THE HAGUE, Netherlands— 20 October 2023—The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Republic of Korea jointly organised the Seoul Workshop on Peaceful Development and Use of Chemistry for Member States of the OPCW in the Asian Region from 17 to 19 October 2023 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
In her opening remarks, Ms Eun-Jin Park, Director of the Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea commended the completion of the destruction of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles on 7 July and stated: “We all have to make sure chemical weapons never emerge again. The Republic of Korea is fully committed to advancing the effective implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.”
The workshop, funded by the Republic of Korea, aimed at promoting the peaceful uses of chemistry and enhancing capacities in chemical safety and security in Asia. Speakers at the workshop discussed topics related to dual-use chemicals, chemical management regulatory regimes, as well as customer and process safety management systems.
The course was attended by 16 representatives from the following 15 OPCW Member States: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam.
Background
The Seoul Workshop on Peaceful Development and Use of Chemistry for Member States of the OPCW in the Asian Region is a long-standing course on the peaceful uses of chemistry fully funded by the Republic of Korea. Since its inception in 2012, the course has been continuously supporting capacity building in chemical safety and security management in Asian countries.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
On 7 July 2023, the OPCW verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997 — totalling 72,304 metric tonnes of chemical agents — have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW’s strict verification regime.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.