2024-04-26 19:32:41
The Moroccan delegation, led by the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Mohamed Basri, was composed of members of the national departments involved in the implementation of the Convention on the national plan.
This session, during which Morocco was elected as Vice-President on behalf of the African Group, was marked by the examination of several points on the agenda, notably relating to the monitoring of the implementation of provisions of the Convention, including through the various capacity building programs of Member States.
Also on the agenda were the Organization’s biennial program budget for the year 2023-2024, governance aspects and the rehiring policy by the Director General of the OPCW, confirmation of the completion of the process of destruction of declared chemical weapons stockpiles, and measures to combat the re-emergence of the chemical threat.
As part of the general debate, Mr. Basri reiterated the position of principle and the strong attachment of the Kingdom to the objectives of disarmament, non-proliferation and the fight against weapons of mass destruction, while reaffirming the unfailing support for the noble objectives of the Convention.
Regarding the strengthening of cooperation between the OPCW and Africa, the Ambassador, Permanent Representative stressed the need to promote active and active South-South cooperation, which takes into account the specific realities of each State Party and each sub-region.
In this regard, he highlighted the commitment of the Kingdom of Morocco to the optimization of collaboration between African member countries, recalling the organization in 2023, by Morocco, jointly with the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW , several important training courses, as well as Tutoring-Partnership programs, for the benefit of numerous representatives, particularly from African State Parties, allowing capacity building and the sharing of good practices in this area.
The diplomat also reiterated the Kingdom’s call for the continuation of the efforts of the Technical Secretariat of the Organization, particularly in favor of Africa, in order to ensure balanced and optimal implementation of the Convention.
This Conference, which meets annually, has the main objective of assessing the state of implementation of the Convention and defining the priorities of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for the years to come. , particularly with regard to organizational and governance aspects, operating budget, verification regime, or even training and capacity building.
It should be noted that the OPCW, with its 193 member countries, oversees the efforts of the international community to permanently eliminate chemical weapons.
Since the entry into force of the Convention in 1997, which is the most effective disarmament treaty, eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction, all declared stockpiles of chemical weapons have been destroyed under the verification of the OPCW. His considerable efforts in eliminating chemical weapons earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013.
Morocco signed the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in January 1993 and ratified it in December 1995. Since then, the Kingdom, which has never been a possessor of chemical weapons, has fulfilled all its obligations under the Convention, while remaining a strong advocate of the use of chemistry for peaceful purposes.
2024-04-26 19:32:41