Chemical Weapons Convention national measures

See, e.g., Republic of Bulgaria, National Measures for Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, RC-l/NAT.ll, 28 April 2003 The People s Republic of China, Report on the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention in China, RC-1/ NAT.2, 15 April 2003 The Republic of Cuba, Methods Adopted by the Republic of Cuba to Ensure Compliance with the Provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention, RC-1/NAT.4, 5 May 2003 The Kingdom of Sweden, National Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, RC-1/NAT.27, 8 May 2003 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, National Implementation of the Cherrtical Weapons Convention, RC-1/NAT.3, 15 April 2003 United States Delegation, CWC Review Conference National Implementation Measures, 3 March 2003 (on file with the author). 

Chemical weapons are totally prohibited under the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The General Purpose Criterion ensures that all toxic chemicals, past, present and future, are prohibited unless they are for purposes not prohibited under the Convention. The regime against chemical weapons will become more effective as the Chemical Weapons Convention approaches universality and international initiatives in regard to toxic chemicals become more widely applied throughout the world. National measures to ensure that toxic chemicals do not present a risk to health and safety can and should be harnessed to ensure effective implementation of the obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention to ensure that such chemicals are only used for purposes permitted under the Convention. 

Tabassi L, Dhavle A (2014) Article VII national implementation measures. In Krutzsch W, Myjer E, Trapp R (eds) The Chemical Weapons Convention—a commentary. Oxford University Press, Oxford, p 195... 

Export controls could even prove counter productive in the longer term. Western governments rarely described them as a panacea most depicted them as an interim measure, pending the negotiation of a Chemical Weapons Convention. Thereafter, the United States characterised them as a sovereign right which could still be imposed to promote national... 

Recalling the recommendations that the First Speeial Session of the Conference of the States Parties to Review the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (First Review Conference) made on national implementation measures (as eovered under agenda item 7(c)(v) of its report, subparagraphs 7.74 to 7.83 of RC-1/5, dated 9 May 2003), in particular the agreement in subparagraph 7.83(h) of that report to develop, at its next regular session, a plan of action based on a recommendation from the Executive Council (hereinafter the Coimcil ) regarding the im-... 

Nevertheless, it was events in Kurdistan in particular which fully illustrated both the ambiguity of what was banned and the absence of verification measures under the Geneva Protocol. Only use of chemical weapons was banned, not possession. In 1972 the United Nations General Assembly had adopted the Convention of the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Biological Weapons. Chemical weapons fell outside this convention and by 1988 it became clear that a chemical weapons treaty was urgently needed to place effective constraints on the proliferation of these weapons worldwide. 

The Scheduled Chemicals are primarily chemicals which have been used at some time or have been considered for use at some time as chemical weapons. Particular attention is given in the CWC to the verification of such chemicals. However, the designation of some chemicals in the Schedules is merely an aid to the verification of the Convention. It has to be underlined that the prohibitions in the Convention apply to all toxic chemicals as defined in Article II of the Convention and that each State Party is required to adopt the necessary measures to ensure that toxic chemicals and their precursors are only developed, produced, otherwise acquired, retained, transferred, or used... forpurposes not prohibited under this Convention. Consequently the prohibitions are all embracing and the national measures to ensure that toxic chemicals are only used for purposes not prohibited under the Convention are equally all embracing. Chemical weapons are truly totally prohibited. 

In the absence of the Convention s full universality and in view of non-state actors seeking to acquire chemical weapons capabilities. States have long adopted counter-proliferation measures. Early steps had already been taken in the 1980s, both at the national level and by way of international co-ordination, such as the export controls organized through the so-called Australia group. The effectiveness of such controls is doubtful, notwithstanding other multilateral efforts such as UN Security Council Resolution 1540 of 28 April 2004 on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. ... 

Article V, paragraph 19 of the Convention states that Each State Party shall meet the costs of destruction of chemical weapons production facilities it is obliged to destroy. It shall also meet the costs of verification under this Article unless the Executive Council decides otherwise. If the Executive Council decides to limit verification measures of the Organisation pursuant to paragraph 16, the costs of complementary verification and monitoring by the Organisation shall be paid in accordance with the United Nations scale of assessment, as specified in Article VIII, paragraph 7. ... 

The Second Review Conference reaffirmed that raising the awareness of all stakeholders about the prohibitions and requirements of the Convention would benefit national implementation. The Second Review Conference noted that voluntary measures by relevant industry and scientific communities to promote responsible conduct can also help to guard against chemical weapons, as defined in the Convention, being used. 

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