Deputy Director-General Addresses UN First Committee

The OPCW Deputy Director-General, Mrs Grace Asirwatham, visited New York on 15 October 2012 where she addressed the United Nations General Assembly’s First Committee on Disarmament and International Security and called on Mrs Angela Kane, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.  

In her statement to the First Committee [PDF – 29 KB], the Deputy Director-General highlighted the commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) that was reaffirmed by States Parties in a high-level meeting at the UN on 1 October to mark the 15th anniversary of the CWC’s entry into force, which was attended by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. 

Mrs Asirwatham reported to the Committee that the OPCW has thus far verified the destruction of nearly 75% of the 71,000 metric tonnes of chemical weapons stockpiles that were declared by States Parties, and that more than 90% of the declared chemical weapons production facilities have either been destroyed or permanently converted for peaceful purposes. Regarding the OPCW’s industrial verification regime, she stated that the OPCW has conducted more than 2,200 inspections of industrial facilities in 81 countries and continuously monitors global exports and imports of chemicals covered by the Convention.  

In her meeting with Mrs Kane, she thanked the High Representative for the support provided by UNODA for the high level meeting on 1 October and briefed her on the OPCW’s outreach activities with States not Party to the CWC, among other issues.