CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION

CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is an arms control treaty. The full name of the treaty is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction and it is administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an intergovernmental organization based in The Hague, The Netherlands.

? The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is a multilateral treaty that Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction and required their destruction within a specified period of time

? CWC is an arm control treaty which outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of  chemical weapons and their precursors and entered into force in 1997

? CWC negotiations started in 1980 in the UN Conference on Disarmament

? The convention opened for signature on January 13, 1993, and entered into force on April 29, 1997

? The CWC is implemented by Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons  (OPCW), which is headquarters in the Hague

? The OPCW receives states parties’ declarations detailing chemical weapons related  activities or materials and relevant industrial activities.

? After receiving declarations, the OPCW inspects and monitors states parties’ facilities and activities that are relevant to the convention to ensure compliance

? The CWC is open to all nations and currently has 192 states parties

? Israel has signed but has yet to ratify the convention

? A key non-signatory includes North Korea

? Developing, producing, acquiring, stockpiling, or retaining chemical weapons

? The direct or indirect transfer of chemical weapons
? Chemical weapons use or military preparation for use
? Assisting, encouraging, or including other states to engage in CWC-prohibited activity
? The use of riot control agents “as a method of warfare”