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Factsheet on the 65th ratification of the CWC
65th ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention
65th ratification of the CWC
On 31 October, the Government of Hungary deposited its instrument of ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, thereby completing the required number of 65 ratifications.
This event triggered the process of entry into force of the CWC which will occur 180 days after the 65th deposit has been made. The Convention thus enters into force on 29 April 1997.
Upon the entry into force, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the monitoring and verification organization of the Convention, will be established in The Hague. A Preparatory Commission (PrepCom) has been meeting in the Hague since February 1993 to set up the infrastructure necessary to enable the OPCW to carry out its tasks and to develop procedures for the implementation of the Convention.
During the preparatory phase which lasts until entry into force, many more Signatory States are expected to ratify the Convention and it is widely hoped that the United States and the Russian Federation, the two largest declared possessors of chemical weapons, will be among these.
The Convention prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition,retention, transfer and use of chemical weapons. It also provides for the total destruction of chemical weapons and related production facilities in all States Parties under international supervision and within a specific time-frame.
This event triggered the process of entry into force of the CWC which will occur 180 days after the 65th deposit has been made. The Convention thus enters into force on 29 April 1997.
Upon the entry into force, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the monitoring and verification organization of the Convention, will be established in The Hague. A Preparatory Commission (PrepCom) has been meeting in the Hague since February 1993 to set up the infrastructure necessary to enable the OPCW to carry out its tasks and to develop procedures for the implementation of the Convention.
During the preparatory phase which lasts until entry into force, many more Signatory States are expected to ratify the Convention and it is widely hoped that the United States and the Russian Federation, the two largest declared possessors of chemical weapons, will be among these.
The Convention prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition,retention, transfer and use of chemical weapons. It also provides for the total destruction of chemical weapons and related production facilities in all States Parties under international supervision and within a specific time-frame.