Eliminating Chemical Weapons: An Overview of the CWC

History. Major efforts to eliminate chemical weapons (CW) as a tool of warfare can be traced to the early 20th century. During World War I, chemical weapons were used extensively in combat for the first time. Although their strategic impact remains debatable, these weapons inflicted a significant percentage of casualties (although the number of fatalities was relatively low). Following the war, many nations gathered to outlaw the use of chemical weapons, resulting in the 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibiting the use (but not production, stockpiling, or transfer) of chemical weapons. However, since World War I, there have been several incidents of CW use, most notably during the Iran-Iraq War. As a result, states have sought a stronger and more comprehensive agreement to prevent future uses of chemical weapons.

Entering into force on April 29, 1997, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) bans the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, transfer, and use of chemical weapons. Any country is eligible to join the CWC, and as of April 2009 188 countries are members of the treaty. Although the treaty has had remarkable success in destroying chemical weapons stockpiles and CW production facilities, the treaty faces significant challenges in its continuing mission to rid the world of chemical weapons.

OPCW headquarters, The Hague, Netherlands.
Source: www.opcw.org

Structure and Membership. The CWC has an extensive verification and enforcement mechanism built around a central oversight body, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This mechanism includes the active monitoring of commercial chemical facilities and the ability to conduct routine and challenge inspections of members' chemical facilities of interest. Based in the Hague, the OPCW is responsible for verification and is mandated by the CWC to enforce the treaty's provisions and assist member states in implementation. Within the OPCW, there are three main bodies: the Conference of the States Parties, a universal body that sets policy; the Executive Council, a group of 41 state representatives who assist in guiding policy; and the Technical Secretariat, which is responsible for day-to-day administration and monitoring. Additionally, the OPCW holds regular review conferences to discuss scientific and technological developments and analyze how these developments affect the implementation of the treaty.

Membership in the CWC is open to any state and is non-discriminatory. Therefore, all states that join have the same rights and responsibilities, and thus no member state is given special status to retain CW.

Iraqi bombs filled with mustard gas, a schedule 1 chemical agent.
Source: www.nato.int

Classification of Chemical Agents and Chemical Precursors. Under the CWC, members must declare and eliminate certain chemical agents. One of the major responsibilities of the OPCW is to categorize these chemical agents according to their military and commercial utility. This classification system, in turn, requires treaty members to eliminate chemical agents that could be potentially used as weapons while allowing them to continue to produce chemical agents that are essential for commercial goods. According to the "Annex on Chemicals," chemical agents and their ingredients (called "precursors") are divided into three "schedules":

• Schedule 1 chemical agents have little or no commercial uses, and thus are almost certain to be used as weapons (e.g., mustard gas).
• Schedule 2 chemical agents could potentially be weaponized but also have some legitimate, although limited, commercial uses (e.g., insecticides).
• Schedule 3 chemical agents have common commercial use but could also be weaponized (e.g., phosgene) or used to create schedule 1 or schedule 2 chemicals.

To assist in the destruction of declared CW, the treaty further classifies chemical weapons into three categories:

• Category 1 weapons include munitions (bombs, grenades, canisters, etc.) that contain schedule 1 chemical agents, as well as schedule 1 agents themselves.
• Category 2 weapons include munitions and CW created from non-schedule 1 agents.
• Category 3 weapons include unfilled munitions and equipment designed to deliver chemical weapons.

Further Reading:

	Arms Control Association, “Chemical Weapons”
	CNS, Inventory of International Nonproliferation Organizations and Regimes
	UN Department of Disarmament Affairs, CWC Fact Sheet
	Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons  web site
	U.S. Departments of State and Commerce, United States Chemical Weapons Conventionweb site