THE HAGUE, Netherlands—27 October 2023—National authorities must report imports and exports of dual-use toxic chemicals to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to ensure these substances do not fall into the wrong hands. To fulfil these obligations effectively, customs authorities must know how to detect toxic chemicals, as well how to report their import and export.
To strengthen regional capacity for these activities in Africa, the OPCW and the Government of Kenya co-organised a peer-to-peer training for national customs training institutions at the Kenya School of Revenue Administration in Nairobi from 10 to 12 October 2023 which was attended by 41 national customs trainers from across Africa.
Ms Kazumi Ikeda-Larhed, Director of OPCW International Cooperation and Assistance stated: “Customs training is foundational to the Chemical Weapons Convention’s verification regime, cultivating knowledge for the day-to-day dual reporting that constitutes the Convention’s transfer regime. Dual reporting of both imports and exports ensures reliable and accurate verification by the OPCW. Such training supports the establishment of an effective transfer regime, protecting populations and ensuring regional stability”.
Participants received hands-on training identifying various toxic chemicals and dealing with various import and export scenarios. They also learned about common problems in handling suspicious shipments and storing chemicals, and cooperatively developed and shared training strategies.
Since 2016, the OPCW has been working with the World Customs Organization (WCO) to deliver such training courses for national customs training institutions around the globe. Train-the-trainer programmes confer key knowledge and training methods that national customs training institutions then use in their own regional training courses. The ultimate outcome is a resilient capacity to design and implement national training activities that support the full and effective implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
Such programmes also provide a forum for coordination and experience sharing between participants, fostering cooperation between national customs administrations and their CWC implementing National Authorities to ensure chemistry is only used for peaceful purposes.
Training participants came from 13 OPCW Member States: Ethiopia, Ghana, Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Background
A dual-use chemical is any chemical that has legitimate peaceful uses, but which may also be used to make chemical weapons. Chemicals such as thiodiglycol, hydrogen cyanide, or phosphorus trichloride have legitimate uses in pen ink, nylon shoes or lubricants, yet are also used to make lethal mustard gas, tabun and VX respectively. It is only through robust reporting of the import and export of dual-use chemicals that their peaceful uses can be safely realised.
Article X of the Convention provides for assistance and protection to a State Party if it is attacked or threatened with attack by chemical weapons.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997, it has been the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapon of mass destruction.
On 7 July 2023, the OPCW verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997 — totalling 72,304 metric tonnes of chemical agents — have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW’s strict verification regime.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.