OPCW (IO)
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
The OPCW, headquartered in The Hague, is an International Organization and it constitutes the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention. It was established on April 1997 when the CWC entered into force and it includes 192 Member States as all the State Parties of the CMW are automatically OPCW members. The OPCW has four main objectives: first, it ensures the destruction of all existing chemical weapons under international verification; second, it monitors chemical industry to prevent new weapons from re-emerging ensuring that toxic chemicals are used exclusively for purposes not prohibited by the CWC; third, it provides assistance and protection to State Parties against chemical threats; fourth, it fosters international cooperation to strengthen implementation of the CWC and promote the peaceful use of chemistry. The main bodies of the Organization are the Conference of State Parties, which is the plenary organ consisting of all members of OPCW, the Executive Council whose mandate is to promote the effective implementation of, and compliance with, the Convention and, lastly, the Technical Secretariat which assists the Conference of State Parties and the Executive Council in exercising their functions. The OPCW was awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize for its “extensive work to eliminate chemical weapons”