The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (the CWC, the Convention) was adopted on 3 September 1992 at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. On January 13, 1993, the Convention was opened for signature in Paris and entered into force on April 29, 1997.

The Convention is the first multilateral treaty in the sphere of disarmament, which envisages the elimination of an entire class of the weapons of mass destruction under global international control.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), with its headquarter in The Hague (Netherlands), is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the CWC. The OPCW currently ha3 193 member-states.

Ukraine signed the Convention on January 13, 1993, and ratified it on October 16, 1998. The CWC entered into force for Ukraine on November 15, 1998. Ukraine strictly adheres to its obligations under the Convention, has never owned or intended to develop, stockpile or use the chemical weapons. Ensuring the implementation of the Convention is one of the most important directions of our state's policy in the field of disarmament, arms control and confidence-building. This issue is under the constant control of the President and the Government of Ukraine.

The Decree of the President of Ukraine of November 15, 2012 №673 approved the Action Plan for 2012-2021 on the implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (hereinafter - the Plan). The provisions of this document define: a set of measures necessary for the effective implementation of the provisions of the Convention at the national level; the list of institutions that will be involved within their competence in the implementation of specific items of the Plan, their area of responsibility; sources and amounts of funding.

By the Decree of the President of Ukraine of August 26, 1999 № 1080/99, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has been designated as the National Authority of Ukraine for the implementation of the Convention, which is responsible for organizing systematic coordination of a wide range of practical measures, approved by the Plan.

The provisions of the Plan cover the following areas of activity:

- preparation of national declarations;

- provision of assistance for inspection activities of the OPCW on the territory of Ukraine;

- control of international transfers, use and transportation of chemicals subject to control under the Convention;

- training of personnel necessary to ensure the fulfillment of Ukraine's commitments under the Convention;

- creation of the State Analytical Laboratory;

- ensuring the protection of confidential information transmitted in the framework of Ukraine's obligations under the Convention:

- international cooperation under the Convention.

Membership of Ukraine in the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

 

Ukraine has five times been a member of the OPCW Executive Council from the East-European Regional Groupe (in 1999-2001, 2004-2006, 2009-2011, 2012-2014 and 2018-2020).

This executive board of the OPCW consists of 41 members from all 5 regional groups, elected by the Conference of the States Parties to the CWC for a term of two years.

The membership of Ukraine in the OPCW Executive Council includes participation of Ukrainian delegation in the regular sessions, which are held for the purpose of considering the important issues related to chemical disarmament and activities within the Organization’s competences, as well as developing and adopting the relevant executive decisions etc.