Note by the DG on the OPCW’s Contribution to Global Anti-Terrorism Efforts

The OPCW considers its mandate to contribute directly to global anti-terrorism efforts. It reiterated in the latest report that “the full and effective implementation of all provisions of the Convention is in itself a contribution to global anti-terrorist efforts” (paragraph 1 of EC-XXVII/DEC.5, dated 7 December 2001).

In this period: “In 2023, the OPCW continued its active participation in the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, to which it became a signatory in 2018, and in the Compact’s Working Group on Emerging Threats and Critical Infrastructure Protection.”

The report further outlines all of the activities undertaken by the OPCW in the global fight against terrorism. Read the full report here.

Addressing the threat from chemical weapons use

As decided at the 4th Review Conference in 2018, each EC meeting, the DG is required to submit a report on the status of threats of chemical weapons use.

“In furtherance of paragraph 7 of the decision, the Technical Secretariat (the Secretariat) has continued its engagement with the Syrian Arab Republic to clarify all gaps, discrepancies, and inconsistencies noted in its initial declaration and subsequent submissions. 3. The twenty-fifth round of consultations between the Declaration Assessment Team (DAT) and the Syrian National Authority took place in Damascus from 30 October to 5 November 2023. This was the first round of consultations to take place since February 2021, following the Syrian Arab Republic’s withdrawal of conditions preventing the deployment of all DAT experts. The Director-General reported on the details and outcomes of the twenty-fifth round of consultations through his report to the Council on the work of the DAT (EC-104/HP/DG.2/Add.2, dated 22 November 2023). 4. Furthermore, the twenty-sixth round of consultations between the DAT and the Syrian National Authority took place in Damascus from 23 January to 1 February 2024. During this round of consultations, the DAT conducted technical meetings with experts from the Syrian National Authority, revisited the status of outstanding issues, discussed the ways towards their resolution, interviewed seven persons who were involved in the Syrian chemical weapons programme, and discussed the results of the analysis of samples collected by the DAT between 2019 and 2023, with a focus on the unexpected presence of indicators of potentially undeclared activities involving research and development, production, storage, and/or weaponisation of unknown quantities of chemical weapons.” – from the report by the DG on Addressing the Threat from Chemical Weapons Use

Action plan on Geographical Representation 

At EC-105 the EC released a decision on the Action Plan on Geographic Representation. This action plan is composed of three components, namely:

1. a strategic framework that mainstreams geographic diversity as a way of implementing the Action Plan on Geographical Representation
2. an implementation plan
3. a monitoring and recording mechanism

The decision taken is to adopt the deliverables mentioned above. Read the full statement here. 

Other topics covered at EC-105:

• Destruction-related issues
• Elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons program
• Verification-related issues
• Article X implementation
• Countering chemical terrorism

View the full report of EC-105 here: Report of the 105th Session of the Executive Council, 8 March 2024