The Hague, 19 November 2018: Bangladesh has been elected as a member of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for the term 2019 – 2021.

Bangladesh was unanimously elected by the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention on 19 November 2018 during the 23rd Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention being held in The Hague, Netherlands from 19-20 November 2018. The 23rd Session of the Conference of States Parties also unanimously elected Bangladesh as its one of the Vice-Chairpersons. Bangladesh was among the six States Parties elected to serve in the Executive Council, representing the Asian Group for the term 2019 – 2021.  Bangladesh last served in the Executive Council for the period 2016-2018 after a gap of 12 years. The Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the OPCW Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal served the Executive Council as its elected Chairperson for the term 2017-2018.

The Executive Council of the OPCW is made up of 41 members. The Council is the executive organ of the OPCW and is responsible to the Conference of States Parties. The Council’s mandate is to promote the effective implementation of, and compliance with, the Chemical Weapons Convention. It is also required to supervise the activities of the Secretariat, to cooperate with the National Authority of each State Party, and to facilitate consultations with and cooperation among States Parties, at their request. The Executive Council meets formally four times in a year and also convenes informal meetings as and when necessary.

The OPCW, which was awarded Nobel Prize for Peace in 2013, is a globally acclaimed international organization dedicated to implement 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention with 193 States as its members. Bangladesh signed the Chemical Weapons Convention on 14 January 1993 and ratified on 25 April 1997.

Bangladesh’s election to the OPCW Executive Council after a gap of only one term is seen as recognition by the international community of the country’s contribution to the world peace as well as its leadership in the multilateral fora. The election also signifies international recognition of Bangladesh’s efforts to attain global disarmament and stem proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.