The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), in collaboration with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), organised a side event at the 148th IPU Assembly on the role of parliamentarians in fostering global peace and security through advancing the effective national implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
The event, which was held on 26 March 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland, featured presentations and a panel discussion highlighting the importance of adopting national legislation to fully implement the Convention. Honourable Ms Aigul Kuspan, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan delivered a keynote speech at the event highlighting the vital role of parliaments in advancing the implementation of the Convention alongside Kazakhstan's fight against the proliferation of chemical weapons.
Participants at the event learned about parliamentarians' role in championing and supporting the adoption of such legislation. They also discussed how parliamentarians can assist law enforcement entities and national authorities' efforts in enhancing national capacities in chemical emergency preparedness. Discussions underscored the Convention's relevance in fostering global peace and security as well as sustainable development by advancing Sustainable Development Goals 12 and 16.
Parliaments are vested with the authority to propose, amend, and adopt laws and regulations. Member States, including their parliaments, are called upon to enact CWC national comprehensive legislation. This includes establishing penal laws and the adoption of administrative measures to ensure that national authorities can be set up and effectively operated to implement the Convention in accordance with the country's constitutional processes. Therefore, parliaments play a crucial role in the implementation of the CWC, including in adopting laws related to chemical disarmament and non-proliferation.
Distinguished parliamentarians from, among other countries, Bahrain, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, Kazakhstan, Canada, India, the Zambia, and Kenya, as well as representatives from the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation attended the event.
Background
The IPU is an organisation of parliaments, composed of 180 national parliaments and 15 regional parliamentary bodies.
The 148th Assembly of the IPU was attended by more than 700 Members of Parliament from over 140 countries, including over 50 Speakers of Parliament. At the 148th Assembly, hundreds of parliamentarians reconfirmed their commitment to parliamentary diplomacy to support peace efforts, and to reinvigorate multilateralism through parliamentary action.
Article VII covers national implementation of the Convention and requires each State Party to enact implementing legislation at the national level. Comprehensive legislation at the national level is essential for preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention's entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
In 2023, the OPCW verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997 - totalling 72,304 metric tonnes of chemical agents - have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW's strict verification regime.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.
