Ministry of Defence  – Media Centre

‘In acknowledging the role played by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in advancing global peace and security, we are proud to announce that Sri Lanka’s initiative to introduce a new Act and an online Chemical Monitoring and Regulatory System (CM&RS) dedicated to overseeing security-related chemicals’.

Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne made these remarks while taking the stage as the Chief Guest of the Inauguration Ceremony of the OPCW Expert Workshop organized with the collaboration of National Authority for Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (NACWC), Sri Lanka at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo today (Feb 27).

The workshop focusing on Developing Indicative Guidelines on Know Your Customer (KYC) and Due Diligence Best Practices for the Chemical Supply Chain” is to be conducted from February 27 to March 01 with expert participants from the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, China, India, Kenya, Nigeria and Sri Lanka.

The OPCW serves as the executive organization for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), commonly referred to as the international treaty prohibiting the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons, along with their systematic elimination. The CWC represents a global agreement designed to eliminate specific categories of weapons in a verifiable fashion, concentrating primarily on national initiatives and indirectly addressing the potential threat of chemical terrorism.

To fulfil its commitments under the CWC, Sri Lanka established the NACWC to serve as the national focal point for effective communication with the OPCW and other state parties. Sri Lanka signed the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on 14th January 1993 and ratified on 19th August 1994. The CWC Act no.58 of 2007 for the implementation of the convention within Sri Lanka was passed by Parliament and it was amended as CWC Amended Act No. 1 of 2019.

Additional Secretary (Defence Services) to the Ministry of Defence Mr. Jayantha Edirisinghe, the Director of the NACWC and the Director General Engineering of Sri Lanka Navy Rear Admiral Ravi Ranasinghe, Senior Consultant in CBRNE Safety & Security Dr. Rohan P. Perera and the OPCW Senior Programme Officer Mr. Taoen Kim were the distinguished members at the Inauguration Ceremony Workshop.