Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)

OPCW is an intergovernmental organization that promotes, administers and verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
This convention outlaws production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors.
193 member-states have signed and ratified this convention including India.
Six states- Angola, Egypt, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea and South Sudan are still outside the CWC.
OPCW was established April 1997
It is headquartered in Hague, Netherlands.
It was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for overseeing global endeavour for permanent and verifiable elimination of chemical weapons.
Powers:
- The OPCW is authorized to perform inspections to verify that signatory states are complying with the convention.
- It can also perform testing of sites and victims of suspected chemical weapons attacks.
Relations with UN:
- OPCW is not a United Nations(UN) organization.
- However, by the 2001 Relationship Agreement between the OPCW and the UN, the OPCW reports on its inspections and other activities to the UN through the office of the Secretary-General.