I vividly remember the moment the United States became one of the 130 original signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1997. I was a part of the U.S. delegation that negotiated the Convention, while then-senator Joe Biden helped craft the Senate's resolution of advice and consent by working extensively across party lines. At that time, neither of us could have envisioned the world we face now.
On this day, 25 years later, we mark the anniversary of the Convention's entry into force as an important reminder to reflect on its state and importance to our security. I, for one, believe the CWC remains true to its purpose, despite the many challenges we face today.
The CWC bans chemical weapons and requires them to be completely destroyed. Importantly, the international community is close to its goal, with almost 99 percent of the world's declared stockpile of chemical weapons destroyed, not including certain state and non-state actors that have undeclared chemical weapons programs and stockpiles, such as Russia, Syria, the DPRK and ISIS. The United States is on track to complete destruction by September 2023, and we have destroyed over 97 percent of our fully declared stockpile.
Unfortunately, obstacles remain to the total elimination of chemical weapons. The rising use of chemical weapons over the past 10 years—including in Syria, in the United Kingdom (by Russia) and in Russia—has made clear that some countries retain illicit offensive chemical weapons programs in violation of their international obligations. Furthermore, while all but four countries are party to the CWC, a country we believe to maintain a significant chemical weapons program—the DPRK—is not party to the Convention and used a nerve agent to assassinate Kim Jong Nam in Malaysia in 2017. These are significant challenges.
Additionally, today's anniversary occurs under the shadow that Russia could use such weapons in Ukraine. As President Biden said, there would be a "severe price" for Russia if it uses chemical weapons. There will be absolutely no impunity for such use. I am confident that the international community would act together in response to such a heinous act. We have shown, time and again, our willingness to stand together in the face of chemical weapons use. We will uncover the facts and act collectively and decisively in response.
The United States has led the way in supporting the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an international organization that exists to implement the Convention, and will continue to do so while working closely with allies and partners. U.S. leadership has ensured that the OPCW can do its job effectively, making sure, for example, that the OPCW had the resources and tools needed to oversee the removal and destruction of Syria's declared chemical weapons, while later undertaking the heroic and dangerous work of investigating the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons.
The OPCW also played an integral role in providing critical technical support to investigate chemical weapons use in different countries. While bad actors like Russia tried to use their veto power at the United Nations Security Council to protect Syria and itself from accountability for using chemical weapons, the United States and its allies and partners led efforts at the OPCW to adopt decisions directing the establishment of a team dedicated to investigating and attributing instances of chemical weapons use and requiring more chemicals to be subject to routine inspection and verification.
Given the chemical weapons threat to Ukraine, the United States is again leading and working closely with allies and partners. I am proud of the bilateral security assistance that the United States has provided to Ukraine, including over $100 million in life-saving protective and detection equipment and related medical countermeasures, in addition to funds provided to the OPCW that will be used to assist Ukraine against the threat of chemical weapons.
We live in a time where chemical weapons use is still a reality. However, by continuing to act to counter these threats and maintaining vigilance, hopefully we will move closer to our collective goal of ridding the world of chemical weapons.
Bonnie Jenkins is U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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