Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Encyclopedia
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organization, located in The Hague
, Netherlands
. The organization promotes and verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention
which prohibits of the use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction. The verification consists both of evaluation of declarations by members states and on-site inspections.
(whose members are all in OPCW). The principal body is the conference of states parties, which normally is convened yearly, and in which all countries participate and have equal voting rights. Countries are generally represented in the Conference by a permanent representative
to the organization, which in most cases is also the ambassador
(to the Netherlands). The conference decides on all main topics regarding the organization (e.g. taking retaliation measures) and the convention (approving guidelines, imposing retaliating measures against members.
The Executive Council is the executive organ of the organization and consists of 41 States Parties, which are appointed by the Conference on a 2-year term. The Council amongst others oversees the budget and cooperates with the General Secretariat on all matters related to the convention.
The Technical Secretariat applies most of the activities mandated by the Council and is the body where most of the employees of the organization work. The main activities of the OPCW are performed by the verification and the inspection division.
For Schedule 1 and 2 facilities (chemical weapons, and those precursors mainly used for chemical weapons production), a mass balance is produced to identify whether all produced chemicals can be accounted for and whether the amounts are in conformation with the declarations made by member states. Furthermore, at schedule 2 facilities clues are investigated whether contrary to the declaration (and/or to the rules in the convention) schedule 1 chemicals are produced. At schedule 3 and DOC, the main aim is to check the declaration and to verify the absence of Schedule 2 and Schedule 1 production units. The time limit Schedule 2 inspections is 96 hours while Schedule 3 and DOC inspections can take at maximum 96 hours. There is no time limit on Schedule 1 inspections.
, but cooperates both on policy and practical issues. On 7 September 2000 the OPCW and the United Nations
signed a cooperation agreement outlining how they were to coordinate their activities. The inspectors furthermore travel on United Nations Laissez-Passer
in which a sticker is placed explaining their position, and privileges and immunities. The United Nations Regional Groups also operate at the OPCW to govern the rotations on the Executive Council and provide informal discussion platform.
The Hague was chosen as the location for the seat of the organization after a successful lobby of the Dutch government, competing against Vienna
and Geneva
. The organization has its headquarters next to the World Forum Convention Center
(where it holds its yearly Conference of States Parties) and storage/laboratory facilities in Rijswijk
(on the premises of TNO
). The headquarters were officially opened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on 20 May 1998 and consist of a eight-story building built in a semi-circle. A permanent memorial to all victims is present at the back of the building and open to the public.
The second term of the first Director-general only served for circa one year, after which he was removed from office on grounds of financial mismanagement. This decision was highly controversial and deemed improper by the International Labour Organization
.
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The organization promotes and verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention
Chemical Weapons Convention
The Chemical Weapons Convention is an arms control agreement which outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons. Its full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction...
which prohibits of the use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction. The verification consists both of evaluation of declarations by members states and on-site inspections.
Organizational structure
The activities of the OPCW and its core organizational structure are described in the Chemical Weapons ConventionChemical Weapons Convention
The Chemical Weapons Convention is an arms control agreement which outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons. Its full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction...
(whose members are all in OPCW). The principal body is the conference of states parties, which normally is convened yearly, and in which all countries participate and have equal voting rights. Countries are generally represented in the Conference by a permanent representative
Permanent Representative
A Permanent Representative is the head of a diplomatic mission to one of various international organisations. The best known of the organisations to which states send Permanent Representatives is the United Nations; of these, the most high-profile ones are those assigned to headquarters in New...
to the organization, which in most cases is also the ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
(to the Netherlands). The conference decides on all main topics regarding the organization (e.g. taking retaliation measures) and the convention (approving guidelines, imposing retaliating measures against members.
The Executive Council is the executive organ of the organization and consists of 41 States Parties, which are appointed by the Conference on a 2-year term. The Council amongst others oversees the budget and cooperates with the General Secretariat on all matters related to the convention.
The Technical Secretariat applies most of the activities mandated by the Council and is the body where most of the employees of the organization work. The main activities of the OPCW are performed by the verification and the inspection division.
Chemical weapons destruction facilities
At all operational chemical weapons destruction facilities (as of August 2010 only in Russia and the United States), 24/7 inspections by the OPCW take place on site to verify the success of the destruction as well as the amounts of weapons being destroyed. In view of the hazardous environment in which the inspections take place, they are generally performed by evaluation via CCTV-systems.Industry inspections
Inspections are designed to verify compliance of States Parties with the requirements imposed on production and use of scheduled chemicals and to verify declarations made by member states. The intensity and frequency of the inspections is dependent on the type of chemical produced (in descending order: Schedule 1, Schedule 2, Schedule 3 or DOC, see Scheduled Chemicals), but is regardless of the standing of the member state.For Schedule 1 and 2 facilities (chemical weapons, and those precursors mainly used for chemical weapons production), a mass balance is produced to identify whether all produced chemicals can be accounted for and whether the amounts are in conformation with the declarations made by member states. Furthermore, at schedule 2 facilities clues are investigated whether contrary to the declaration (and/or to the rules in the convention) schedule 1 chemicals are produced. At schedule 3 and DOC, the main aim is to check the declaration and to verify the absence of Schedule 2 and Schedule 1 production units. The time limit Schedule 2 inspections is 96 hours while Schedule 3 and DOC inspections can take at maximum 96 hours. There is no time limit on Schedule 1 inspections.
Challenge inspections and investigations of alleged use
In case of allegation of use of chemical weapons or the prohibited production, a fact finding inspection can be employed according to the convention. None of those activities have yet taken place. The OPCW only undertakes these inspections on request of an other member state, after verification of the presented proof. To avoid misuse, a majority of two thirds can block a challenge inspection request. Furthermore, the OPCW can only be involved after bilateral diplomatic solutions have failed.Relation with the UN
The organization is not an agency of the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, but cooperates both on policy and practical issues. On 7 September 2000 the OPCW and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
signed a cooperation agreement outlining how they were to coordinate their activities. The inspectors furthermore travel on United Nations Laissez-Passer
United Nations Laissez-Passer
A United Nations Laissez-Passer is a travel document issued by the United Nations under the provisions of Article VII of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations in its offices in New York and Geneva, as well as by the International Labor Organization...
in which a sticker is placed explaining their position, and privileges and immunities. The United Nations Regional Groups also operate at the OPCW to govern the rotations on the Executive Council and provide informal discussion platform.
Headquarters
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. The organization has its headquarters next to the World Forum Convention Center
World Forum Convention Center
The World Forum Convention Center, formerly known as the Nederlands Congrescentrum , is a concert venue and convention centre in The Hague, Netherlands, near the buildings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical...
(where it holds its yearly Conference of States Parties) and storage/laboratory facilities in Rijswijk
Rijswijk
Rijswijk is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a suburb of The Hague and covers an area of 14.48 km² ....
(on the premises of TNO
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek or TNO is a not-for-profit organization in the Netherlands that focuses on applied science. The main office of TNO is located in Delft...
). The headquarters were officially opened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on 20 May 1998 and consist of a eight-story building built in a semi-circle. A permanent memorial to all victims is present at the back of the building and open to the public.
Leadership
The Organization is led by the Director-General, which is directly appointed by the Conference. An overview of Directors-general is shown below| Country | Name | Start of Term |
|---|---|---|
| José Bustani | 13 May 1997 | |
| Rogelio Pfirter Rogelio Pfirter Rogelio Pfirter is an Argentinian diplomat. He was the Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons from 2002 to 2010. Pfirter was born in Santa Fe, Argentina, on 25 August 1948. He graduated as a lawyer from the Universidad Nacional del Litoral... |
25 July 2002 | |
| Ahmet Üzümcü Ahmet Üzümcü Ahmet Üzümcü is a Turkish career diplomat who is presently the director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Üzümcü was consul at the Consulate General in Aleppo, Syria as well as ambassador in Israel. From 1999 to 2002 he served as the permanent representative of... |
25 July 2010 |
The second term of the first Director-general only served for circa one year, after which he was removed from office on grounds of financial mismanagement. This decision was highly controversial and deemed improper by the International Labour Organization
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
.
See also
- Agreement on Destruction and Non-production of Chemical Weapons and on Measures to Facilitate the Multilateral Convention on Banning Chemical Weapons
- Chemical Weapons ConventionChemical Weapons ConventionThe Chemical Weapons Convention is an arms control agreement which outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons. Its full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction...
- Member states of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
External links
- opcw.org, organisation's official website