ABSTRACT
The Convention on the prohibition of the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and on their destruction or, as it is more conveniently known, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) came into force on the 29 April 1997 (UN 1993). The body responsible for overseeing the implementation of the CWC is the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Its headquarters are located in The Hague, where a Technical Secretariat of approximately 500 staff, including around 200 inspectors, are responsible for the day-to-day administration of the CWC and the implementation of its verification regime. A 41 member Executive Council, which meets regularly four times per year – with additional sessions being held as and when the need arises, provides oversight of, and guidance to, the Technical Secretariat. It also reports to the Conference of States Parties on the progress of the implementation of the Convention and makes recommendations on any actions that need to be considered and taken by the Conference. The Conference of states parties, which is open to all states parties and normally meets once a year, is the primary decision making body of the OPCW.
