29th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CSP29)

The 29th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CSP29) took place from 25 to 29 November 2024 in The Hague, the Netherlands. The Vietnamese delegation comprised representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government Office and the Embassy of Vietnam in the Netherlands, and was headed by Luu Hoang Ngoc, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Chemicals Agency, Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The Vietnamese delegation at CSP29

The Conference was convened to review progress in the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in the period 2023-2024; to elect members of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW); to consider and adopt the report on the review of the budget for 2025; and to discuss a number of issues relating to the Israel-Hamas and Hezbollah conflicts and to Japan-China cooperation on the destruction of chemical weapons abandoned at several locations in China after the Second World War, among others. This year's Conference continued to reflect competition and disagreements between certain countries, particularly between Russia and China on the one hand and the United States and the EU group on the other, leading to signs of politicisation of some issues in the OPCW's technical forums. The outcome of the vote for the Eastern European Group's seats on the OPCW Executive Council this year again showed an alignment of forces in favour of the United States and the EU, while Russia, which came under strong criticism, found itself in the minority (it was not elected to the Executive Council). The Conference held its discussions and completed its agenda, with essentially no new or overly complex issues arising. The discussions showed signs of increased tension over some recent developments on the ground, such as Israel's intensified attacks in Gaza and Lebanon over the past year, and new allegations that Russia had used riot control agents in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Although Russia reacted strongly, it did not block the reports on the implementation of the CWC in 2023.

A view of CSP29

In line with the approved position, the Vietnamese delegation delivered a statement at the Conference reaffirming Vietnam's support for the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and for the OPCW in assisting States Parties to implement the CWC; supporting efforts towards non-proliferation and the complete elimination of all types of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons; condemning the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances; affirming Vietnam's commitment to implementing the CWC; calling for the pillars of the CWC to be implemented in an objective, transparent and balanced manner; proposing that international cooperation be strengthened and that the right of countries to develop the chemical industry for peaceful purposes be protected; and proposing that the OPCW pay attention to equitable geographical representation, enabling countries, especially developing countries, to be better represented in the common work of the OPCW.

Tao Thuan – Centre 81