Madagascar deposited its instrument of ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 20 October 2004. Thirty days after that date, on 19 November 2004, Madagascar will become the 167th State Party to the Convention.
The OPCW seeks to achieve universal adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Five African States —Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Chad, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Madagascar— are among the ten newest OPCW Member States to have ratified or acceded to the Convention in the past year. Madagascar’s ratification brings Africa closer to universal OPCW membership, in order to realize the African Union’s goal of establishing a chemical weapons-free zone in the region.
In the pursuit of universality in Africa, recent workshops on universality have been conducted in Africa by the OPCW in collaboration with the African Union and OPCW Member States. When the Convention enters into force for Madagascar, a total of 43 African States will be party to the Convention.
54/2004