The Meeting of the Commission for the Settlement of Disputes Related to Confidentiality
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 8 June 2017 — The Commission for the Settlement of Disputes Related to Confidentiality elected a new Chairperson during its annual meeting held from 17 – 19 May at the seat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague.
The Commission’s 19th annual meeting was opened by the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, who stressed that within the Technical Secretariat “a stringent regime governing the handling of confidential information is rigorously maintained. This regime assures State Parties that the information they provide is fully protected at all times, in line with the Chemical Weapons Convention. In case of breaches or alleged breaches of confidentiality, the necessary procedures are in place to determine its cause and impacts.” He underlined that the Commission plays an essential part in upholding trust in the OPCW’s confidentiality regime.
With a term of two years, starting from 1 May 2017, the Commission inaugurated its 20 newly appointed members and elected H.E. Mr Alireza Jahangiri, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the OPCW, as its new Chairperson.
The Commission further reviewed its procedures and conducted a mock case as part of its standard activities to maintain the Commission’s preparedness and help establish working relationships between the Commission’s members should they be called upon to settle a dispute.
Background
The Commission for the Settlement of Disputes Related to Confidentiality is a subsidiary organ of the Conference of States Parties (CSP) to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The Confidentiality Commission is authorised to consider disputes relating to breaches of confidentiality involving State Parties and the OPCW.
The Commission has 20 members who are appointed by the CSP for a term of two years and are proposed by OPCW’s five regional groups: Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western European and Other States.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW oversees the global endeavour to permanently and verifiably eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997 – and with its 192 States Parties – it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
To date, nearly 95 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.