A follow-up to the 2015 conference, One Hundred Years of Chemical Warfare: Research, Deployment, Consequences, this meeting has the aim of obtaining fresh perspectives from different stakeholders on where we are regarding the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
One of the key objectives of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), CWC's implementing body, and of organizations affiliated with it, is to engage with civil society in the widest possible way in relation to chemical safety and security.
October 2023 is a particularly opportune moment to hold such a meeting: 2023 marks not only the 30th anniversary of the signing of the CWC in Paris, but September 30, 2023 is the projected deadline for the elimination of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles. The meeting will reflect about the history and achievements of the CWC over the last thirty years, and explore existing and future challenges as the world realigns itself with, and prepares for, a new geopolitical and security environment.