The Hague (The Netherlands), 16th May 2023: The Botswana delegation is led by the Permanent Representative-Designate of the Republic of Botswana to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), H.E. Mrs Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba. The Ministry of Defence and Security’s Chemical, Biological, Nuclear and Radiological (CBNR) Weapons Management Authority is also participating in the Session.
RC-5 brings States Parties to the CWC together to review the Convention’s relevance, operations and to rethink resourcing with a view to setting a clear roadmap for the CWC’s implementation between 2023 and 2028.
To facilitate discussions during the Session, an Open Ended Working Group (OEWG), chaired by the Permanent Representative of Estonia to the OPCW, held meetings and consultations between April 2022 and May 2023. The outcome of this exercise is the Chairperson’s Draft Provisional Text.
Existing and emerging opportunities and challenges will be exchanged on through deliberations on key elements of the Chairpersons Draft Text, such as: the States Parties Political Declaration, external stakeholders outreach, international cooperation, verification, diversity and universality, future considerations and recommendations.
Landmark achievements such as the Chemistry and Technology Center (ChemTech Center), on 12th May 2023 was recognized. The Centre is integral to research, operations, analytics and capacity building.
To conclude the Session, all States Parties will attempt to reach a consensus text on the Review.
