International Responsibility of OPCW to Foster Peaceful Cooperation
Subject Areas : Politics
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Keywords: Peaceful cooperation, export prohibition, Australia Group of OPCW, international responsibility,
Abstract :
The Chemical Weapons Convention, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1992, constitutes the most important international legal instrument on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction. The present paper intends to explore the commitment of the Convention to fostering peaceful chemical cooperation as envisioned in Articles 8 and 11, and also to assess the international responsibility of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Therefore, the main question of this paper is: “Under what conditions and according to what principles can this Organization be held responsible with regard to its commitment to fostering peaceful international cooperation in the field of chemical activities?” As discussed in this paper, according to the provisions of Article 11 of the Convention, the Organization is under definitive obligations to bolster international cooperation. The paper also shows that the measures taken by the Australia Group, whose members are also Member States of the OPCW, in expanding prohibitions and restrictions of the Convention are incompatible with the provisions of the Convention and, therefore, its members are in violation of the Convention.
