11 July 2024

The Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition (CWCC) is an independent, international civil society network working to support the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and to supplement the efforts of the member states of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to achieve universal support for and compliance with the treaty and ensure a world free from chemical weapons.

Applications for CSP-29 Now OpenThe OPCW’s 29th Session of the Conference of the States Parties (CSP-29) will be held at the World Forum in The Hague, Netherlands, from 25 – 29 November 2024. The conference is an annual meeting where all States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention congregate to oversee the implementation of and compliance with the treaty, as well as promote its objectives.  In order to be considered for approval, NGOs and civil society representatives must use the application link on the OPCW’s website.  This page also contains all the information regarding the application process. Information on logistics, webcasts, NGO participation, and documents for the conference can also be found on the OPCW’s website. Please contact [email protected] with questions.  The deadline to apply is 1 September 2024 at 23:59 CEST. Apply to Attend the 29th Conference of States Parties Here  OPCW-The Hague Award 2024 Open for NominationsThe OPCW is now accepting nominations for this year’s OPCW-The Hague Award, which annually recognizes “the numerous stakeholders, including academia, researchers, the chemical industry, international and regional organizations, and civil society, who make outstanding contributions to achieving a world free of chemical weapons.”  The award was established by the OPCW in 2014 in participation with the Municipality of The Hague as part of its 2013 Nobel Peace Prize win. The OPCW-Hague Award continues the legacy of “extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons” for which the OPCW was recognized and awarded the Nobel. Recipients of the award receive a medallion, a certificate, and a share of the €90,000 award fund. If you would like to put forward a nomination, the link and helpful guide can be found on the OPCW’s website. Nominations will be accepted until 31 July 31 2024. See past winners of the award, including: Hubert Foy, Director of the African Center for Science and International Security (2023); the CWC Coalition (2022); Alistair Hay, Professor of Toxicology at the University of Leeds (2015) and more.  Correction Regarding the Syrian Chemical Weapons Programme in the June 2024 Newsletter  Our last newsletter erroneously stated that the 2013 sarin gas attack on Ghouta, Syria, had been confirmed by the OPCW to be perpetrated by the Assad government. However, the OPCW has not conducted its own investigation or published its own findings related to the chemical attack on Ghouta. It was the United Nations that published a report. The UN (in cooperation with the OPCW) addressed the Ghouta chemical attack in its “Report of the United Nations Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic on the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Ghouta area of Damascus on 21 August 2013” (referenced and linked to in this report to the UN Security Council and General Assembly in December 2013). It concluded in the report that sarin had been used in Ghouta: “On the basis of the evidence obtained during our investigation of the Ghouta incident, the conclusion is that, on 21 August 2013, chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in the Syrian Arab Republic, also against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale.” The UN report did not name any party as responsible for the attack. However, a separate investigation by Human Rights Watch alleges that the Syrian government is “almost certainly” responsible, contrary to claims by the Syrian government that it was not responsible for the attack. Additionally, the link to the above-mentioned UN report was intended to be included in the June newsletter, but a link to the OPCW’s third report of the Investigation and Identification Team concerning the 2018 chemical attack on Douma, Syria, was mistakenly linked in its place. The report on Douma includes a summary of the findings of the UN report on page 19, but not the report in its entirety.

On the Calendar 9-12 July 2024: 106th Session of the OPCW Executive Council, The Hague  31 July 2024: 2024 OPCW-The Hague Award nominations deadline  1 September 2024: CSP-29 registration deadline  8-11 October 2024: 107th Session of the OPCW Executive Council, The Hague  25-29 November 2024: 29th Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, The Hague

If your organization is interested in joining the CWC Coalition, contact Mina at [email protected]. If you have news that you would like to be included in an upcoming newsletter, please send us an email with your contact details and description of the event/project/news.