What is the Chemical Weapons Convention?
Learn about the main features of the Chemical Weapons Convention and how these work to permanently eliminate chemical weapons from our world.
The OPCW is the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. With 193 Member States and a Technical Secretariat, the OPCW is responsible for implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Chemical Weapons Convention is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Russian and can be downloaded for free from the OPCW website.
This video includes:
00:00 - Intro
00:16 - Full name of the Convention
00:30 - Eliminates entire category of weapons of mass destruction
00:49 - Key provisions in the Convention
01:20 - Creation of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
01:36 - Requirements when a country joins the Convention
02:05 - Chemical declaration requirements
02:18 - Verification regime
02:31 - Legal possession and use of toxic chemicals
02:54 - Addressing non-compliance with the Convention
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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
The Chemical Weapons Convention is a powerful agreement for ridding the world of chemical weapons. But what is in the Convention and how does it do this?
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, is known most often by its shorter name, the Chemical Weapons Convention. It is an international treaty that aims to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction, namely, chemical weapons.
193 countries are States Parties to the Convention and they work together to implement its four key provisions:
1. Destroying all existing chemical weapons under international verification by the OPCW;
2. Monitoring the chemical facilities to prevent chemical weapons from re-emerging;
3. Providing assistance and protection to Member States against chemical threats;
4. Fostering international cooperation to strengthen implementation of the Convention and promote the peaceful use of chemistry.
The Convention purposely created the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the OPCW, to ensure that its obligations are being met and to support Member States in the implementation of the CWC.
When a country joins the Convention, it agrees to eliminate any stockpiles of chemical weapons, any facilities that produced them, old chemical weapons, and any chemical weapons abandoned on the territory of other Member States in the past.
Since the Convention entered into effect in 1997, over 70,000 metric tonnes of declared chemical weapons stockpiles have been verifiably destroyed.
The Convention also requires Member States to declare certain toxic chemicals, their precursors, and the facilities that produce them to ensure that they are only used for peaceful purposes. Dedicated teams of inspectors visit hundreds of chemical facilities each year to verify the accuracy of declarations. They also verify the destruction of chemical weapon stockpiles.
Recognising that chemistry has many peaceful purposes, the Convention clearly defines cases in which a Member State can legally possess certain toxic chemicals. These are called “purposes not prohibited” and include industrial, agricultural, research, medical, pharmaceutical, and protective purposes among others.
Should chemical weapons be used, the Convention provides steps that can be taken by the OPCW to address non-compliance and to provide assistance and protection.
The Convention is translated into the six official languages of the OPCW and is available on the OPCW website.
Learn more at opcw.org
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CC: English, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, Russian, Spanish
Watch all the @OPCW Basics videos to learn the fundamentals of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the OPCW’s work.
Homepage - https://www.opcw.org
Chemical Weapons Convention (overview) - https://www.opcw.org/chemical-weapons...
Chemical Weapons Convention (download in 6 languages) - https://www.opcw.org/chemical-weapons...
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