Chemical Weapons Convention: Past, Present and Future
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is an arms control treaty that outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors. This convention came into force on 29 April 1997. This convention is the effort of some 20 years of negotiations at the Conference of Disarmament (CD). It has the best defined and intrusive verification regime ever developed. The implementing body for the CWC is an intergovernmental organisation known as Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). As per the convention, the review conferences should continue to be held every five years. The 4th CWC Review Conference would be held during November 2018 at The Hague, Netherlands. This paper reviews the entire journey of the CWC through the lens of the three preceding review conferences. The paper also presents various options for debate and discussions for the forthcoming review conference.
About The Authors
Group Captain Ajey Lele (Retd) is Senior Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
Natallia Khaniejo was a Research Intern at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
