By: David Mugisa, National Coordinator for Implementation of the CWC
Uganda signed the CWC on 13 April 1993 and acceded to it on 30 November 2001. The National Authority of Uganda was designated in 2002, and since then it has coordinated the submission of national declarations to the OPCW and monitored the national trade in Scheduled chemicals on a regular basis.
The National Authority has also taken the lead role in drafting national implementing legislation, the Toxic Chemicals Prohibition and Control Bill, in consultation with relevant ministries and departments of the Ugandan government. The bill must be submitted to the Parliament for enactment, and to expedite early approval the National Authority organised a sensitisation workshop for Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament in Kampala on 28 March 2008 prior to its submission to Parliament. The workshop was supported with financial assistance from the European Union-OPCW Joint Action programme.
The workshop was opened by Hon. Syda N.M. Bbumba, Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development. In her opening remarks, Ms Bbumba said the bill was drafted with the active participation of concerned ministries and departments as well as in consultation with civil society representatives. She informed the workshop participants about developments since the government ratified the Convention and drew attention to the progress made in the national implementation of the CWC.
The participants adopted a statement at the end of the workshop in which they expressed their unequivocal support to the CWC as an important disarmament and non-proliferation treaty to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. They noted that the achievement of universal adherence to the CWC was a fundamental requirement for its success and reaffirmed that appropriate national implementation is a necessary guarantee to achieve the objectives and purpose of the CWC, and for its contribution to international peace and security. They committed their strong support for the early passage of the national implementing legislation in the Parliament.