Demilitarisation
Objective
Elimination of chemical weapons stockpiles and chemical weapons production facilities subject to the verification measures provided for in the Convention.
Latest facts and figures
The 6 States Parties (A State Party,
Albania, India, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the Russian Federation, and the United States of
America) which have declared chemical weapons must destroy 8.67
million items, including munitions and containers containing in total,
71,328 metric tonnes of extremely toxic chemical agents. On 11 July 2007,
the OPCW confirmed the destruction of the entire chemical weapons stockpile in Albania. On 10 July 2008, the OPCW confirmed that A State Party became the second of the six possessor States to complete the destruction of its entire chemical weapons stockpile. By
comparison, a tiny drop of a nerve agent, no larger than the head of a pin, can kill an adult
human being within minutes after exposure.The OPCW verifies that the destruction process is
irreversible. At the same time, States Parties in the process of destroying chemical weapons
are obliged to place the highest priority on the safety of people and on protecting the
environment.
30,130, or
42.24%, of the world's declared stockpile of
71,328 metric tonnes of chemical agent have been verifiably destroyed. (As
at 30/11/2008)
3.10, or
35.76%, of the 8.67 million chemical
munitions and containers covered by the CWC have been verifiably destroyed. (As at
30/11/2008)
Chemical weapons declared and destroyed
| Chemical agent (metric tonnes) | Munitions/containers (million items) | |
|---|---|---|
| Declared | 71,328 | 8.67 |
| Destroyed | 30,130 | 3.10 |
Last updated : 30/11/2008 |
||
| States Parties which have declared Facilities | Declared Sites or Facilities | Inspections Conducted | Sites Inspected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Weapons Production Facilities | 12 | 65 | 401 | 67 |
| Chemical Weapon Destruction Facilities | 6 | 37 | 1,091 | 37 |
| Chemical Weapons Storage Facilities | 6 | 37 | 390 | 36 |
| Abandoned Chemical Weapons | 3 | 29 | 44 | 25 |
| Old Chemical Weapons | 13 | 47 | 84 | 30 |
| Total | 215 | 2,010 | 195 |
- From Entry into Force of the CWC (April 1997) until 30/11/2008, the OPCW has conducted 3,528 inspections on the territory of 81 States Parties, including 2,010 inspections of chemical weapon-related sites. 195 chemical weapon-related sites have been inspected out of a total of 215 declared.
- 100% of the declared chemical weapons stockpiles have been inventoried and verified.
- 172 initial declarations have been received.
- 100% of the declared chemical weapons production facilities (CWPFs) have been inactivated. All are subject to a verification regime of unprecedented stringency. 61 of the 65 CWPFs declared to the OPCW have been either destroyed (42) or converted for peaceful purposes (19). 12 States Parties have declared CWPFs: Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, France, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the Russian Federation, Serbia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, and another State Party.
Key outcomes identified by the Secretariat for 2008
- 100% of the destruction of approximately 7,800 metric tonnes of chemical-warfare agents verified during the year in 4 Member States; approximately 32,000 metric tonnes (or 45% of total declared stockpiles) of chemical-warfare agents verified as destroyed by the end of 2008 since entry into force of the Convention.
- Approximately 39,330 metric tonnes of declared chemical-warfare agent at year-end yet to be destroyed.
- Compliance with the CWC requirements verified during the year by inspections at 5 CWPFs remaining to be destroyed or converted, and at 2 converted facilities.
- Storage of chemical-warfare agents verified during the year by inspections at each of the 17 remaining CWSFs.
Relevant CWC provisions
Definitions (Part I, Verification Annex)
Destruction of Chemical Weapons and Its Verification Pursuant to Article IV (Part IV (A))
Old Chemical Weapons And Abandoned Chemical Weapons (Part IV (B))
Related provisions from the Chemical Weapons Convention
The destruction of chemical weapons is a difficult process due to their variety. First are the weapons declared at military storage sites, which were filled and stored in preparation for their possible use in time of war. Second, there are chemical weapons defined as old and abandoned, generally recovered from former battle sites or testing areas.
States Parties must submit detailed plans to the Technical Secretariat that set out the process to be used in the destruction activities and the timelines to be followed. The plans for destruction and/or conversion are placed before the Executive Council for approval. If approval is not forthcoming, then destruction may commence under continuous monitoring by OPCW inspectors.
Read documents related to demilitarisation
For the purpose of destruction, chemical weapons declared by each State Party are divided into three categories. A State Party shall start the destruction of Category 1 chemical weapons not later than two years after the Convention enters into force for it, and shall complete the destruction not later than 10 years after entry into force of the Convention...
States Parties may select and apply the appropriate destruction methods for their chemical weapons. However, the following methods are not permitted: dumping in any body of water, land burial or open pit burning.
Historically, chemical weapons have been disposed of by land burial, open pit burning, explosion and sea dumping. Today such disposal options are prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention. The deterioration of such munitions can pose a significant environmental threat, leading to the possible contamination of land and water.