Topic: Re-Evaluating the Chemical Weapons Convention
Country: Panama
Delegate Name: Nick Smith
School: Vicksburg High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Panama position papers GLIMUN 2017 committees
The use of chemical weapons has been labeled as a crime against humanity. In 1997 the Chemical Weapons Convention was put into place, prohibiting the use, creation, and stockpiling of chemical weapons and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (active as of 2016) has helped confirm the destruction of left over chemical weapons. While this has been effective to an extent so far, the definition of chemical weapons is narrow and the CWC only prohibits lethal or harmful chemical weapons. It leaves the use of weapons such as chlorine gas, an extremely toxic gas, as means of crowd control.
The use of these weapons has been seen through lax eyes and need attention drawn to them. In recent years, many deaths have been caused by weapons such as chlorine gas or incapacitating chemical agents, and yet, they are still not registered as lethal chemical weapons.
In recent years, the lines between chemical weapons and biological weapons have blurred, and while the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention prohibits the use, making and stockpiling of biological weapons, there is no way to verify the destruction of such weapons. There have been proposals to review both the CWC and BWC, and merge the two into a new and updated treaty to broaden the weapons categorized, and further limit the accessibility of these weapons. The Republic of Panama agrees with the re-evaluation of the chemical Weapons Convention, and would not be opposed to discussing the proposals at hand. Panama looks forward to meeting and discussing such important topics in committee.
