Fight against chemical weapon needs concerted efforts – Ayittey
Ms Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment Science and Technology on Tuesday called for a concerted effort in Africa to help to realize the ban on chemical weapons under the Chemical Weapon Convention.
The Global Convention, which Ghana is a signatory seeks to promote best practices in chemical manufacturing and safety, acquiring practical analytical skills and exchange of scientific and technical information.
She said although chemicals permeated modern life and played important role in sustainable development the absence of best management practices posed significant risk to human health and the environment.
Speaking at the opening of the Ninth Regional Meeting of National Authorities of State Parties in Africa held in Accra, Ms Ayittey said human health and environment effect could result from immediate and long term exposure.
The three-day confab, which is being attended by 60 delegates from 31 States Parties from Africa, would serve as a platform to confer with each other and also present their needs for assistance in relation to CWC. The oversight body of CWC is called Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Under the CWC all States Parties are expected to establish and reinforce the administrative and legislative measures necessary to prevent any breach of the Convention by their nationals in their counties.
“Chemicals may also be used as weapon of mass destruction and agents for riot control, which unfortunately is frightening and dreadful. It inflicts excruciating and long term suffering on mass scale,” she said.
Recounting some of the achievement towards prohibition and chemical weapon in Ghana, Ms Ayittey said the country was actively involved in the activities of Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) and the negotiation of global legally binding on mercury.
The implementation of SACIM is in line with the Chapter 19 of Agenda 21 adopted at the United Nation Conference on Environment and Development Earth Summit in 1992.
She said government policies to control and manage chemicals include, the Review of the National Environmental Policy, Environmental Protection Agency Act 1994 (Act 490) on control and management of pesticides.
Other proposed legislations are the Chemical and Waste-Related, Guidelines for Transport of Harzadious Substances and a Draft bill on Weapon of Mass Destruction Act, the non Proliferation of Nuclear Weapon treaty and the Chemical Weapon Convention.
Mrs Grace Asirwatham, Deputy-Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said although a number of challenges confronted the fight against chemical weapon globally, there had been a significant achievement over that last fourteen years which had advanced the objectives set for the Convention.
She said 90 per cent of States Parties had established a national authority and almost 50 per cent of them had enacted legislation covering all key areas of the Convention.
“Out of the 50 African States who are party to the Convention only 22 have informed the OPCW that they have adopted a national legislation and have put in place administrative measures towards the implement of the tents of the Convention”, she said.
In the area of disarmament, she said, 66 per cent of the declared chemical weapons stockpiles had already been destroyed, which the Russian Federation and the United States of America were the two major possessors.
She commended Ghana for her commitment towards realizing the objective of the Convention by putting in place both administrative and legal initiatives.
Source: GNA