Topic: Re-Evaluating the Chemical Weapons Convention
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Delegate Name: Abigail Zhang
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Democratic Republic of the Congo position papers GLIMUN 2017 committees
Using chemical weapons in warfare has been regarded as criminal. In an attempt to reduce the usage of chemical weapons, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) was created. Every member state of the UN has ratified the CWC except for four. The CWC came into effect on April 29, 1997, and works to ban the creation, possession, and and use of chemical weapons in the countries that have signed the CWC. The DRC believes that chemical weapon usage should be prohibited because it is an inhumane method of killing.
On January 14, 1993, the Democratic Republic of the Congo signed the CWC, and on October 12, 2005, it was ratified by the DRC. The DRC has also signed and ratified the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC), a treaty banning the production of chemical and biological weapons. To fully apply the CWC’s ideals in Africa, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) established a relationship with the African Union. Finally, the DRC is a member state of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1970, making it a Non-Nuclear Weapon State (NNWS) and does not possess any chemical weapons. All of these actions have helped transform the DRC into a more humane, safe country.
The DRC, along with countries that do not currently use chemical weapons and have signed and ratified the CWC and BWC, believe that the use of any chemical weapons for any use should be banned. The DRC also proposes that the UN combine the CWC and BWC to better control the selling of chemical technology. Finally, the DRC suggests that the definition of chemical weapons should be clarified further to affect and reduce the use of chemicals for commercial and military causes.
