The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) welcomes the Republic of Korea's voluntary contribution of €50,000 to support the OPCW's upcoming World Conference on the Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Advancing the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which aims to comprehensively consider the impact of AI technologies within the framework of the CWC.
The contribution was formally approved during a signing ceremony held on 12 July 2024 at OPCW Headquarters in The Hague between His Excellency Choi Hyung Chan, OPCW Ambassador to the United Nations, and Ambassador Fernando Arias, OPCW Director General.
“We highly appreciate the Technical Secretariat's steady efforts to strengthen its capacity in the fields of science and technology with a view to effectively implementing the CWC,” Ambassador Choi said.
“As the first contracting party to make a voluntary donation to the ChemTech Center project, Korea has actively supported various initiatives led by the Secretariat in the fields of science and technology, including artificial intelligence. In line with this commitment, we have also decided to make a voluntary donation to the AI Conference to be held in the Kingdom of Morocco in October 2024,” he emphasized.
“We hope that this meeting will provide a valuable forum to discuss both the opportunities and challenges that AI poses in the implementation of the CWC,” he added.
The Director-General said, “I am deeply grateful for the Republic of Korea's important contribution to this timely Conference on AI and the Chemical Weapons Convention. AI is a powerful tool that can transform chemical science. We must be prepared to address both the opportunities and challenges that AI may pose to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. This Conference will facilitate dialogue among experts to ensure that AI is used responsibly and contributes positively to global peace and security.”
The conference, which will take place in Morocco from 22-24 October 2024, will bring together leading experts from science, industry and government to promote a comprehensive understanding of the role of AI in the implementation of the CWC.
The meeting will explore three focus areas:
The Director-General encouraged all OPCW Member States to consider supporting the Organization's priority activities, including this conference, through voluntary and in-kind contributions.
background
South Korea has been an active member of the OPCW since the Chemical Weapons Convention came into force in 1997 and is a member of the organization's governing body, the OPCW Executive Council.
To date, Korea has supported various OPCW projects and activities, including the OPCW Chemical Technical Centre, with voluntary contributions of more than 2.8 million euros.
As the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, together with its 193 member states, oversees global efforts towards the permanent elimination of chemical weapons. Since it came into force in 1997, the treaty has been the most successful disarmament treaty to eliminate all types of weapons of mass destruction.
On July 7, 2023, the OPCW confirmed that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared since 1997 by 193 states parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (a total of 72,304 tonnes of chemical agents) had been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW's rigorous verification regime.
The OPCW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its extraordinary efforts towards the elimination of chemical weapons.
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