Algeria, represented by Ambassador Salima Abdelhak, was elected on Thursday to serve as the Deputy Chair of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for a term beginning on May 12, 2024, for the African region.
During discussions at the 105th session of the OPCW Executive Council held in The Hague from March 5 to 8, 2024, Abdelhak highlighted the risks of the resurgence of chemical weapons and the threat of their use by non-governmental groups, particularly in the current context of escalating armed conflicts worldwide.
Abdelhak expressed Algeria’s deep concern regarding the Palestinian tragedy and condemned the heinous acts committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people, which blatantly violate international law.
She also pointed out the risk of the occupying force resorting to chemical weapons in its war against the Palestinians, especially since Israel is not a member of the Chemical Weapons Convention and is not bound by its provisions.
In this regard, Abdelhak affirmed Algeria’s support for Palestine’s request for assistance to the OPCW’s Technical Secretariat to investigate the use of chemical weapons in Palestine.
She urged the Technical Secretariat to regularly inform member states about the findings of these investigations.
Abdelhak noted that the dire situation in Gaza underscores the need for the OPCW to continue its efforts to ensure the universality of the Chemical Weapons Convention and compliance by all states with its provisions.
Additionally, Abdelhak highlighted the growing threat of chemical terrorism due to escalating tensions, which terrorist groups could exploit, facilitated by technological advancements, particularly artificial intelligence that could allow access to chemical weapon manufacturing and development technologies.
She called for strengthened international cooperation based on the directives of the Fifth Review Conference and the work of the Task Force on Terrorism, and through the implementation of Article 10 of the Convention to prevent and protect against these threats.
Abdelhak also commended the success of the regional event “ChemiEx Africa 2023,” a chemical exercise organized by Algeria in cooperation with the OPCW’s Technical Secretariat from September 23 to October 4, 2023, which serves as a model for successful cooperation.
She welcomed the OPCW’s decision to organize the second edition of the exercise in Africa in 2025 and expand it to Latin America.
Finally, Ambassador Salima Abdelhak expressed Algeria’s readiness to share experiences and lessons learned from the first edition of the exercise.
