Question 63 from UPSC CSE 2016 - Current
Affairs

Question

With reference to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), consider the following statements:
1. It is an organization in working relation with NATO and WHO.
2. It monitors the chemical industry to prevent new weapons from emerging.
3. It provides assistance and protection to States (Parties) against chemical weapons threats.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. 2 and 3 only

Strategy: Identify the incorrect statement by scrutinizing the OPCW's primary affiliations and mandate. The claim of a specific working relationship with NATO and WHO is inconsistent with its core UN-based mission. Confirm the correct statements by verifying they align with the OPCW's fundamental objectives of chemical industry monitoring and protection against chemical threats.

Key Info: **Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)**
- The OPCW is an autonomous international organization established in 1997, based in The Hague, Netherlands.
- It is the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and works within the framework of the United Nations, but it is not a UN agency.
- Its primary mandate is to achieve the vision of a world free of chemical weapons by eliminating them and preventing their re-emergence.
- The OPCW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons.

**Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)**
- The CWC is a multilateral treaty that outlaws chemical weapons and requires their destruction. It entered into force in 1997.
- It is the first disarmament agreement negotiated within a multilateral framework that provides for the elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction under universal international verification.
- All States Parties to the CWC undertake not to develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain, or transfer chemical weapons.

**Objectives/Mandate of OPCW (as per CWC)**
- **Elimination:** Ensuring the destruction of all existing chemical weapons and production facilities under international verification by the OPCW.
- **Non-proliferation:** Monitoring the chemical industry to prevent the diversion of chemicals for prohibited activities and the re-emergence of new chemical weapons (Statement 2). This involves routine inspections of industrial facilities.
- **Assistance and Protection:** Providing assistance and protection to States Parties against chemical weapons threats, including emergency response and protective measures (Statement 3).
- **International Cooperation:** Fostering international cooperation for the peaceful uses of chemistry and promoting universal adherence to the Convention.

**OPCW's working relations**
- While OPCW works within the UN framework, it also collaborates with various international and regional organizations, scientific bodies, and national authorities to achieve its mandate.
- However, stating a specific 'working relation' with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance) and WHO (World Health Organization, a specialized agency for health) as a defining operational relationship without mentioning its primary UN affiliation is inaccurate in the context of its core mandate and structural relationships. Its cooperation is broader and more aligned with its disarmament and non-proliferation goals.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: 1 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: 1 and 3 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: 1, 2, and 3