Twenty-Eighth Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention

The Twenty-Eighth Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CSP28) took place from 27 November to 1 December 2023 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 Office of the Government and the Embassy of Vietnam in the Netherlands, and was headed by Mr Phung Manh Ngoc, Director General of the Vietnam Chemicals Agency/Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The delegation visits and works at the Embassy of Vietnam in the Netherlands

This year's Conference took place against the backdrop of the complex developments in the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas/Palestine conflicts, which strongly influenced the content of the Conference. Nevertheless, the Conference agreed that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had made many important achievements in 2023, the most notable being the completion in July 2023 of the destruction of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles worldwide (on 7 July 2023, the last State concerned, the United States, was confirmed as having completed the destruction of all its chemical weapons). In May 2023, the OPCW's new and most modern Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre) was inaugurated and put into operation in the Netherlands. It is regarded as an important upgrade to the OPCW's research, operational and analytical capabilities, helping to promote international cooperation activities and to strengthen the human resources and laboratory capacity of States Parties.

The Vietnamese delegation at CSP28

At the Conference, the Head of the Vietnamese delegation delivered a general statement reaffirming Vietnam's consistent policy of supporting the complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons, and condemning any use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, under any circumstances and for any motive; affirming Vietnam's commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the CWC and supporting the work and efforts of the OPCW, on the principles of transparency and objectivity, in assisting States Parties to implement the CWC; and calling for strengthened international cooperation to develop the chemical industry for peaceful purposes, and for increased support and priority in human resources for developing countries.

View of CSP28

The delegation works with and presents souvenirs to representatives of the OPCW Technical Secretariat

The delegation visits the ChemTech Centre

On the sidelines of the Conference, the delegation also held a working session with the OPCW Technical Secretariat, represented by Mr Li Zhao, Director of International Cooperation, together with Secretariat staff. At the meeting, the Vietnamese side expressed its appreciation for the cooperation between the two sides and requested OPCW support in developing and improving the system of legal documents, strengthening testing and laboratory capacity and human resources in the chemical field, and transferring equipment. The OPCW acknowledged these requests and indicated that it would consider them positively. The delegation also visited and worked at the OPCW's newly inaugurated Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre) to explore cooperation opportunities and requested its support in human resource training.

Tao Van Thuan - Centre 81