OPCW: The Legal Texts: 2nd Edition

The 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (CWC) bans an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. The CWC has now been in force for more than a decade, and has achieved almost universal adherence. To achieve its objectives, the CWC established the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This second edition of OPCW: The Legal Texts brings together the text of the Convention, the interpretative decisions and understandings reached by the organs of the OPCW, policies, rules of procedure, regulations, the conclusions of the two reviews undertaken by the States Parties of the operation of the Convention and key background texts. The volume provides a comprehensive overview of the Convention regime, as it has developed over the last decade.

Table of Contents:
Part I. Chemical Weapons Convention: 1. Text of the Convention; 2. Declarations and statements made upon signature, ratification or accession; Part II. Interpretation: 3. Chemical weapons (CW) issues; 4. Chemical weapons storage facility (CWSF) issues; 5. Chemical weapons destruction facility (CWDF) issues; 6. Chemical weapons production facility (CWPF) issues; 7. Article VI issues (activities not prohibited); 8. Challenge inspection issues; 9. Investigations of alleged use; 10. General rules of verification; 11. Designated laboratories; 12. Central OPCW Analytical Database; Part III. Implementation: 13. Policy; 14. Facility Agreements (Articles IV, V and VI(3) of the Convention); 15. National Implementation Measures (Article VII); 16. Privileges and Immunities (Article VIII, Section E, of the Convention); 17. Protection (Article X); 18. International Cooperation and Assistance; 19. Universality; 20. Training; 21. Review of operation of the Convention; Part IV. Procedures and Mandates of the OPCW: 22. Conference of the States Parties (Article VIII(B) of the Convention); 23. Executive Council (Article VIII(C) of the Convention); 24. Technical Secretariat (Article VIII(D) of the Convention); 25. Scientific Advisory Board (Article VIII, subparagraphs 21(h) and 45); 26. Confidentiality Commission (Confidentiality Annex, paragraph 23); 27. Advisory Body on Administrative and Financial Matters; 28. Committee on Relations with the host country; Part V. Relationship with Other International Organisations: 29. Relationship with the United Nations; 30. Relationship with other international organisations; Part VI. History: 31. Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, 1925 (Geneva Protocol of 1925); 32. Material transmitted by the Conference on Disarmament; 33. UN General Assembly resolution; 34. Paris Resolution establishing the Preparatory Commission for the OPCW and related understandings; 35. Protocol regarding the transfer of assets, liabilities, records and functions from the Preparatory Commission to the OPCW; 36. Emblem of the OPCW.