Arms control & disarmament projects

The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention
Researcher: Angela Woodward
Funder:

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which was concluded in 1993 after many years of negotiations and entered into force in 1997, establishes the most elaborate and intrusive multilateral verification system of any arms control or disarmament treaty. After tracking the negotiations on the treaty for many years, VERTIC has subsequently closely followed the implementation of the verification and compliance arrangements, especially the founding and development of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Hague, Netherlands. VERTIC’s Verification Yearbooks contain regular updates and analyses of progress in implementing the CWC, as does Trust & Verify. VERTIC staff attend Conferences of the States Parties and participate in meetings of the Pugwash Working Group on the Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions.

Prior to the first CWC Review Conference (RevCon), held from 28 April to 9 May 2003 at the OPCW in the Hague, VERTIC commissioned a report on the implementation of the convention to date for consideration by states parties. Prepared by consultant Joan Link, Getting Verification Right: Proposals for Enhancing Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention was publicly released in November 2002 at the Conference of States Parties. The report focuses particularly on the balance of verification; governance, management and finance; and confidentiality and transparency.

Presentation
'Verifying the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention: challenges facing the Second Review Conference-a civil society perspective'

Angela Woodward discussed 'Verifying the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention: challenges facing the Second Review Conference-a civil society perspective' at a seminar hosted by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 26 March 2007. The seminar, which also marked the tenth anniversary of the CWC's entry into force, was an opportunity for UK officials to learn the views of national stakeholders as they continue to shape UK policy for the Review Conference to be held in April 2008. It was opened by the UK Minister for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Dr Kim Howells MP. The panel of speakers also included Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW); Ambassador Lyn Parker, the UK Ambassador to the OPCW; Dr Tony Bastock, Chair of the National Authority Advisory Committee (NAAC); and Angela Woodward.

Angela's presentation (PDF 138k)

Publications

Verification Yearbook 2004
Preface
Rogelio Pfirter
Improving CWC implementation: the OPCW Action Plan
Lisa Tabassi and Scott Spence

Verification Yearbook 2003
Reviewing the Chemical Weapons Convention: gently does it
by Robert J. Mathews

Getting Verification Right: Proposals for Enhancing Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention
by Joan Link. November 2002

Verification Matters
On-site inspections in arms control and disarmament verification
by John Hart. No. 4, October 2002

Chemical industry inspections under the Chemical Weapons Convention
by John Hart. No. 1, October 2001

The above publications are available in portable document format (PDF) and require the installation of Adobe Reader 4.0 or higher. To download a free copy of the software visit the Adobe website.