State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) have been committed for a world free of chemical weapons.
The commitment of the States Parties was made at the Twenty-First Regional Meeting of National Authorities of States Parties in Asia from Aug. 29 to 31 in Siem Reap province.
During the three days of meeting, the participants actively discussed the inputs and exchanged experience in the desire for a world without chemical weapons, said this morning Major General Noeun Vithyea, Director of the Chemical Control Department of the National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical, Nuclear, Biological and Radiological Weapons.
All States Parties to the CWC will further strengthen their ties and participation in bilateral and multilateral cooperation to adhere to the CWC under the guidance and guidelines of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which will guarantee that Asia and the rest of the world are free from the threat of chemical weapons.
Ms. Beatrix Lahoupe, Head of Implementation Support Branch at the OPCW, laid stress on the importance of the three-day meeting in finding strengths, weaknesses and new inputs. She also thanked the Cambodian side for the successful hosting of the regional event.
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) entered into force on April 29, 1997, and as of August 2022, 193 states have become parties to the CWC. The Convention aims to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction by prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer or use of chemical weapons by States Parties. States Parties, in turn, must take the steps necessary to enforce that prohibition in respect of persons (natural or legal) within their jurisdiction.
