The President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, H.E. Mr Evo Morales (left) and OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 14 February 2017 — Today, the President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, H.E. Mr Evo Morales visited the Headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague.
The President was accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Justice, Presidency, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador to the United Nations and the Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. President Morales met with the Director-General of the OPCW, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, and other senior officials of its Technical Secretariat.
Progress and challenges related to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, including the on-going activities in Syria and measures to prevent the use of chemical weapons by non-state actors were discussed during the meeting bearing in mind that Bolivia Chairs the 1540 Committee on Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction as a Non-Permanent Member of the Security Council.
President Morales was briefed on the OPCW’s verification activities and international cooperation and assistance programmes that support the ability of States Parties to implement the Convention in a full, effective and non-discriminatory way.
President Morales and Director-General Üzümcü reaffirmed the contributions of the OPCW to international peace and security. They recognised that the Organisation would continue to play an important role in the new global security environment.
Background
The Plurinational State of Bolivia joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1998.
Bolivia actively engages in OPCW projects in the areas of capacity-building, assistance and protection, national implementation and development.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997 – with its 192 States Parties – it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
To date, 94 per cent of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor States have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Prize for Peace.
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