THE HAGUE, Netherlands—5 June 2023—The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias, met with the Director-General of the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office (ASNO), Dr Geoffrey Shaw, on Monday at OPCW Headquarters in The Hague.
During the meeting, they discussed issues related to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The two high-level officials underlined the importance of upholding the norm against chemical weapons in the current volatile international security environment to advance peace and global security.
OPCW Director-General Arias remarked on the rapid progress in science and technology and the Organisation’s efforts to monitor developments relevant to the Convention, stating: “Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an example of an evolving technology where opportunities and threats co-exist. We are actively engaging with science and technology experts to better understand the impact AI could have on the Convention’s implementation and ensure that the Organisation is prepared to respond to these new challenges.”
Ambassador Arias continued, “Australia’s long-standing and continued engagement with the OPCW is a testimony to its dedication to a world free of chemical weapons. I thank Australia for its continued support to the work of the OPCW.”
ASNO Director-General Shaw mentioned: “We need to reflect on the successes of the Convention in achieving the destruction of the world’s declared chemical weapons stockpiles last year, as well as the important work which remains to see the world free of the threat of chemical weapons. I thank Director-General Fernando Arias for his personal commitment to this historic milestone; for his leadership and dedication to the goals of the Convention.”
Mr Shaw underscored the collaborative efforts required to safeguard global security, remarking, “Australia is committed to working with Director-General Arias, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and States Parties, particularly our regional partners, to strengthen implementation and enhance chemical security.”
Background
Australia has been an active member of the OPCW since 1997. The country is engaged in enhancing the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention in the Pacific region. It hosted a forum in 2022 that brought together stakeholders of OPCW Member States from Pacific region to strengthen regional security.
Australia’s Defence Science & Technology Group (DSTG) is part of the OPCW Designated Laboratory network, having undergone proficiency testing by the OPCW for both biomedical and environmental sample analysis. The OPCW Designated Laboratory network includes national laboratories around the world which perform analysis of samples collected by OPCW inspectors from chemical facilities or from the site of alleged chemical weapons use. Each laboratory must undergo rigorous proficiency testing to ensure it meets the Organisation’s standards in samples handling.
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.
In 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.