ICCA recognizes 10th anniversary of Chemical Weapons Convention

Frankfurt, Germany, April 27, 2007 – On the Tenth Anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) this week, the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) congratulated the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the governments that are party to the CWC, and recognized a “decade of progress” in ridding the world of chemical weapons.  

ICCA Council Secretary Jack Gerard, who is also President and CEO of the American Chemistry Council, today issued the following statement from a meeting of the ICCA Steering Committee in Frankfurt, Germany:

“The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) has been a model of a vigorous regulatory system that ensures sensitive chemicals are not diverted to illegal uses, without an adverse impact on legitimate commercial activities. It was the first multilateral disarmament treaty that considered the essential chemical industry, and we recognize the decade of progress that the treaty has yielded.

“The global chemical industry, represented by ICCA, is committed to the goal of banning chemical weapons. Throughout the negotiations and subsequent implementation of the CWC, the convention received the full support of the industry.  Our commitment to stemming the spread of chemical weapons is also embodied in our Responsible Care® initiative, for which the CWC is one of many important tools.

“ICCA commends the OPCW for balanced implementation of the Convention thus far,  avoiding disruption of commercial operations during verification inspections as much as possible and efficiently handling the treatment of confidential business information. However, there is more work to be done to achieve full implementation and full universality.  ICCA looks forward to providing constructive contributions to the Second Review Conference in April 2008.  The global chemical industry’s collective leadership will continue to result in meaningful progress toward making the world a safer place,” Gerard concluded.