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Second Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention

The Second Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) convened from April 7-19, 2008 in The Hague. Ambassador Waleed Ben Abdel Karim El Khereiji of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia served as Chairperson. In addition to the States Parties represented, the Review Conference extended observer status to three attending non-signatory states: Angola, Iraq, and Lebanon. Twenty-eight non-governmental organizations (NGOs) participated in open sessions and several international organizations, including the United Nations, the Council of the European Union, and the League of Arab States, participated in a special session.

The Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Rogelio Pfirter, gave an opening address highlighting the significant progress that has been made towards fulfilling the Convention’s core objectives of disarmament and non-proliferation. Mr. Pfirter also discussed some of the challenges that lie ahead. Tim Caughley, Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, delivered a message from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, describing the successes and “momentous” impact of the Convention thus far. He urged States Parties to reaffirm their commitment to ridding the world of chemical weapons. The full texts of both of these addresses, as well as national statements and official documents from the Review Conference, can be found on the OPCW website at http://www.opcw.org/rc2/index.html

At the conclusion of the Review Conference, the States Parties adopted a new, expanded mission statement emphasizing the “increased danger of the use of chemical weapons by terrorists or other non-state actors.” The States Parties also agreed on a new target deadline of 2012 for all possessor states to have destroyed their chemical weapons stockpiles. Previously, the United States, Russia, India, and Libya—the countries possessing some of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons—had established individual deadlines, some of which were earlier than 2012. Although most States Parties admit that the five-year deadline is unlikely to be met without some states having to request extensions, significant progress has already been made and the target date sets a goal toward which all States Parties can aim.

While twelve nation states have yet to sign or ratify the CWC, including five countries in the Middle East—Israel, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq—Director-General Pfirter expressed his “serious hopes” of seeing Lebanon and Iraq join the Convention "in the near future."