Topic: Re-Evaluating the Chemical Weapons Convention
Country: Botswana
Delegate Name: Lilly Waterfall
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Botswana position papers GLIMUN 2017 committees
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is a party that requires its members to destroy the production of chemical weapons and the facilities that hold them. Following Botswana’s entrance into the CWC in 1998, problems have arisen about the clarity of the convention. We have found some loose ends within the convention that need to be more clearly explained and place harsher restrictions on certain chemicals due to the severity and harm that could possibly be placed on one another to keep safety and security within this convention. Botswana wants to ensure that no slip ups could possibly be made due to loopholes, and we must be aware of the chemicals, chemical combinations, and weapons used to administer them, that could do harm to others. Botswana has no room, or tolerance for the use, or making of chemical weapons or any lethal, inhumane ways of warfare. One of the ways we have taken a step to promote the safe eradication of chemical weapons is passing the Chemical Weapons Bill. The main objective of this bill was to focus in and ensure there is no way around the development, production, stockpiling and transfer of dangerous chemical weapons and/or related material. As we are a part of the CWC, we must add clarity and provisions of the convention and help take a role in the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and implement new provisions and ideas on the CWC convention. We know that some state parties have expressed a concern that we, as Botswana may have a domestic issue with the manufacturing and trafficking of chemicals that could possibly be used in warfare. We want to reassure that the reason for our postponed actions and provisions was not due to our lack of support to either the CWC or OPWC, but to ensure we were wholly aware of ratifications, provisions and cautions we have taken recently to ensure Botswana has no place with chemical warfare. The signing and enforcement of this bill now is laying down a legislative framework with more instructions and guidelines designed specifically for Botswana so the control and prevention of the use of chemical weapons is minimized to none and can be effective for us. In our country, those who disobey may face life imprisonment and various other punishments regarding what level of violation. We also have inspectors ready to search and questions factories and areas as needed and you must allow the inspector to access to any area. Punishments for these actions are non negotiable. Creating, manufacturing, and transferring chemical weapons of any source (against the ones we have listed as against the law) is a terrifying act within our country and for others around us. Botswana has already ratified the CWC, but within our we have implemented ways within our country to have stronger restrictions. We will continue to implement and enforce rules, follow through with inspections, and safely destroy chemical factories within Botswana and will successfully zero out the use of any dangerous chemicals that could harm/ our/ other societies. We are strongly against the use of chemical weapons, but, in anyway we can cut down on Syria's use of chemical weapons and how we can be sure that the instructions and guidelines are followed through.
