Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)

ü  OPCW is an  intergovernmental organisation and the implementing boy for the Chemical Weapons Convention, came into force on 29 April 1997.

LOGO OF OPCW

ü  OPCW has 192 member states, and its headquaters in The Hague, Netherlands.

ü  It oversees the global endeavour for the permanent and verifiable eliminatation of chemical weapons.

ü  It promotes and verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction.

ü  OPCW was awarded 2013 Nobel Prize "for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons".

ü  The principal body is the Conference

ü  of the States Parties (CSP), which normally is convened yearly, in which all countries participate and have equal voting rights.

ü  The Organisation is currently led by Director-General Ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu . Ambassador Fernando Arias of Spain will assume office on 25 July 2018 for a tenure of four years.

ü  OPCW is not an agency of the United Nations, but cooperates both on policy and practical issues.

ü  In 2014, The OPCW-The Hague Award was established to honour select individuals and institutions by highlighting their exceptional contributions towards the goal of a world permanently free of chemical weapons.