Group photo of Permanent Representatives attending the annual briefing for Permanent Representations to the OPCW based outside of the Netherlands on 3 November 2023 at the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre) in Pijnacker-Nootdorp near The Hague.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—14 November 2023—The Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) held its annual briefing for Permanent Representations to the OPCW based outside of the Netherlands on 3 November 2023 at the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre) in Pijnacker-Nootdorp near The Hague.
The main objective of the briefing was to provide these delegations with an overview of the work and current priorities of the OPCW, especially in the post-destruction phase. It also provided updates on the upcoming Conference of the States Parties (CSP-28) which will take place in The Hague from 27 November – 1 December 2023.
Addressing the participants, the Director-General of the OPCW, Ambassador Fernando Arias, highlighted the Organisation’s achievements this year while pointing to the challenges ahead.
“Earlier this year, on 7 July 2023, the last chemical weapon from the stockpiles declared by all States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention was verified as destroyed,” said the Director-General. “This achievement is a significant milestone for the OPCW and a historic moment for the international disarmament community. It is a critical step towards achieving the OPCW mission to permanently eliminate all chemical weapons and prevent their re-emergence.”
“Nevertheless, challenges lie ahead of us, which require our continued attention,” he emphasised.
The Director-General further outlined major threats and opportunities arising from rapid developments in science and technology and stressed that the ChemTech Centre is an essential tool for the Organisation to address these challenges.
Moreover, Ambassador Arias provided updates on the agenda of the upcoming CSP-28, including the OPCW’s draft biennial programme and budget for 2024-2025, the ongoing engagement on the Syrian chemical weapons dossier, and the Organisation’s verification activities.
The briefing was attended by Ambassadors Permanent Representatives from 20 OPCW Member States. In addition, the Director-General welcomed the attendance of observers from the Republic of South Sudan, a State not Party to the CWC. He highlighted that achieving universality of the CWC is a top priority for the Organisation. Only four countries remain outside of the Convention. Ambassador Arias also emphasised that the recently issued joint communique of the Republic of South Sudan and the OPCW is an important step as the country prepares to accede to the Convention.
The Chairperson of the Executive Council, Ambassador Lucian Fatu, provided updates on the activities of the OPCW’s Executive Council. He informed the participants that the 104th session of Executive Council has endorsed the draft biennial budget for 2024-2025. The Chairperson called upon all delegations to support the approval of the budget at the upcoming CSP-28, so that the Technical Secretariat could effectively implement its mandates under the Convention and from the Conference of the States Parties.
In addition, OPCW staff briefed the participants on a wide range of topics, including the OPCW International Cooperation and Assistance Programme, the OPCW Africa Programme and the recently conducted CHEMEX Africa – the first ever large-scale chemical emergency response exercise for African countries, which was organised by the OPCW and the Algerian Government, and took place from 23 September to 5 October 2023 in Algiers, Algeria.
OPCW Deputy Director-General, Ambassador Odette Melono, closed the briefing, highlighting the importance of OPCW outreach activities to Member States to discuss collective efforts in strengthening the implementation of the Convention.
Background
The ChemTech Centre, which was inaugurated on 12 May 2023, enhances the OPCW’s ability to conduct chemical research and analysis. This significantly reinforces the Organisation’s verification regime and inspection capabilities of chemical industries around the world. In addition, an increasing number of capacity development activities are being delivered through the Centre, including chemical emergency response trainings and analytical skills development courses for experts from Member States.
The Programme to Strengthen Cooperation with Africa on the Chemical Weapons Convention —the OPCW Africa Programme — focuses on the particular needs of African Member States, including the promotion of peaceful uses of chemistry for a developed, safe and secure Africa. Designed within the framework of the OPCW Africa Programme, CHEMEX Africa was unique in its approach, combining a comprehensive theoretical framework with hands-on experience. Through this two-week capacity building exercise, African instructors trained African first responders in a South-South collaboration.
South Sudan is one of only four countries who have yet to accede to the CWC, the others being the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, and Israel which has signed but not yet ratified the Convention.
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 is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons 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.