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HAGUE - The 105th Executive Council of the States Parties of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is underway in the Hague, Netherlands.

The meeting running from Tuesday, March 5th-8th opened with a statement by Director-General  Fernando Arias.

The Executive Council consists of 41 OPCW Member States that are elected by the Conference of the States Parties and rotate every two years.

The Council supervises the activities of the Technical Secretariat and is responsible for promoting the effective implementation of and compliance with the Convention.

Charge D'Affaires of Uganda mission in Brussels, Ambassador Beatrice Pacunega Manano delivered a statement on behalf of the members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) that are States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention and China at the OPCW Headquarters in the Hague.

Amb. Manano said that the NAM CWC States Parties and China continue to underscore the importance of the OPCW.

According to a release  from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Manano added that all States Parties are committed  to ensuring:  full, effective, and non-discriminatory
implementation of all provisions of the Convention.

These include economic and technological development of the States Parties, especially in the fields of International Cooperation and Assistance.

At the meeting, Manano expressed regret by the NAM CWC and China that ever since the creation of a Coordination Mechanism to revitalize existing facilitations, no meeting of this Mechanism had been convened.

he 105th Executive Council of the States Parties of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is underway in the Hague, Netherlands.

"We reiterate our call on the Chairperson of the Executive Council, in his role as head of this Mechanism, to redouble efforts aimed at advancing the full and effective implementation of all provisions of the CWC in a balanced and non-discriminatory manner and to explore ways and means for the revitalization of all facilitations, in line with the position paper of the NAM CWC States Parties and China dated 4 October 2019", she said according to the foreign affairs ministry.

Regarding disarmament, Amb. Manano said that the NAM CWC States Parties and China reiterated their long-standing principled position toward the achievement of general and complete disarmament, under strict and effective international control, including the prohibition and elimination of all weapons of mass destruction.

In this regard, the NAM underscored that the existence and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction continue to pose a significant threat to international peace and security.

"We further underline that full, effective, and nondiscriminatory implementation of the Convention contributes to regional and international peace and security," said Manano.

Regarding the war in Gaza, she emphasized that the Israeli occupation’s actions are prohibited under international law and require vigilance by international organizations, including the OPCW. 

"The use of chemical weapons anywhere by anyone under any circumstances is unacceptable. Accordingly, we request the technical secretariat to take on its duty and monitor the situation in Palestine including any threats or actual use by Israel, of toxic chemicals."

In the NAM Statement, Manano said that the NAM CWC and China requested that the OPCW investigate any possible use of chemical weapons in Israel’s aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Furthermore, the Technical Secretariat should remain prepared to take appropriate measures by the Convention if deemed necessary and to undertake a prompt and effective response to investigate and react to such incidents in the future.