On the occasion of the 22nd regional meeting of National Authorities of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) this week, representatives from the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) reaffirmed their countries' commitment to the implementation of this international treaty.
RELATED:
$8.1 Trillion Required by 2050 To Tame Global Ecological Crisis
Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines highlighted that their national legal frameworks comply with CWC regulations. They also informed about their actions to promote capacity building and chemical security.
The Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) welcomed the high level of online attendance by GRULAC countries while offering an update on cooperation activities.
OPCW International Cooperation Director Kayoko Gotoh praised regional cooperation as a decisive policy to achieve CWC's effective implementation.
Formed by 193 Members States, the OPCW received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013. The organization has destroyed over 98 percent of its Member States' declared chemical weapon stockpiles, a figure that established a breakthrough in its work.
After four years of being opened for signatures in Paris, the CWC entered into force on Apr. 29, 1997.
This Convention is the first multilateral arms control treaty to include a wide-ranging verification regime.