The implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention: the OPCW and its 193 Member States

Background

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently and verifiably eliminate chemical weapons. The organisation states that 98% of the global population live under the protection of the Convention. It also states that 100% of the chemical weapons stockpiles declared by possessor States have been verifiably destroyed. The Conference of the States Parties, the Executive Council and the Technical Secretariat are among its organs, alongside subsidiary bodies such as the Scientific Advisory Board and the Confidentiality Commission.