The origin of the application of the Chemical Weapons Convention in Algeria
True to its principles and positions in favor of a world free of weapons of mass destruction, Algeria actively participated in the negotiations that led to the adoption of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (CWC). The Convention was opened for signature at a ceremony held in Paris, France, on January 13, 1993. Four (4) years later, in April 1997, it entered into force and was published in the Official Journal of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria by Presidential Decree No. 95-157 of June 3, 1995, and subsequently ratified by our country by Presidential Decree No. 04-447 of December 9, 2004.
Upon the entry into force of the CWC, Algeria established a national authority, represented by the Interministerial Committee responsible for the implementation of the Convention, created by Presidential Decree No. 97-125 of April 26, 1997, and placed under the supervision of the Ministry of National Defense.
Role of the Interministerial Committee responsible for the implementation of the CIAC
Pursuant to paragraph 4 of Article 7 of the CWC, as translated by Presidential Decree No. 97-125 of April 26, 1997, an Interministerial Committee was established under the Minister of National Defense to be responsible for the implementation of the said Convention. It is composed, in accordance with Article 3 of the said Decree, of representatives of the ministerial departments concerned with the management of products, substances, and materials used in industrial activities related to the CWC.
The provisions of Article 2 of the aforementioned Decree define the missions of this Committee. The role of the Interministerial Committee extends to addressing the issue of chemical weapons, in order to cover both aspects of chemical safety and security, through the establishment of mechanisms via the “Verification and Inspection” Commission of the aforementioned Interministerial Committee.
In addition, the Interministerial Committee carries out annual inspection and verification operations on facilities declared to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), in accordance with the provisions of Articles 11 to 15 of Executive Decree No. 09-159 of 2 May 2009, in order to ensure strict compliance with Algeria’s commitments to the CWC.
Obligations of Algeria under the CIAC
The Interministerial Committee is primarily responsible for coordinating all actions related to the national implementation of the CWC and for translating the provisions of the Convention into national legislation. It also responds to all requests from the OPCW, such as declarations of products and sites of production and/or use of chemicals, as well as management and support during inspections carried out by the Organization at these sites.
Furthermore, Algeria, in accordance with the provisions of the CWC, complies with the obligations arising from this Convention, including the timely, regular, and continuous submission of the annual declaration relating to chemicals listed in the CWC schedules and used in facilities located on its territory.
Our country also actively participates in the various activities and projects organized by the OPCW. Algeria’s mandate on the OPCW Executive Council has been regularly renewed since the Organization’s creation on April 26, 1997.
Algeria’s participation in the various activities of the OPCW
The Interministerial Committee, represented by the Executive Secretariat, in collaboration with all Algerian stakeholders, periodically organizes study days for economic operators whose activities are related to products listed in the Convention’s schedules. This workshop aims to inform them of their regulatory obligations at the national level, as well as of new provisions relating to the CWC at the international level.
Furthermore, our country is regularly asked to assist African States Parties in adopting national legislation and establishing their National Authorities as part of the OPCW Mentoring Program. This program, funded by the OPCW Technical Secretariat, aims to provide countries that have not yet adopted legislation with the benefit of the experience of countries that have already done so. For example, the Committee’s Executive Secretariat has assisted and trained representatives of the national authorities of Niger and Burkina Faso, for example.
In recent years, our country has regularly organized, almost annually, training activities on various aspects of the Convention for the benefit of the countries of our “North Africa and Sahel” sub-region. This includes the regional seminar on sampling and analysis in a highly contaminated environment, held in 2019, 2021-2022, and 2025.
At the same time, Algerian officials, particularly from the Ministries of National Defense, Interior (General Directorates of National Security and Civil Protection), Energy, Finance (General Directorate of Customs), and Industry, regularly and continuously participate in a number of training programs and seminars offered by the OPCW, which are coordinated and monitored by the Committee’s Executive Secretariat.
Over the past two (2) decades, and after participating in training courses organized by the OPCW Technical Secretariat, Algeria has acquired significant expertise and consolidated its experience in the fields of chemical safety and security, assistance and protection against chemical weapons, and the analysis of chemical warfare agents and industrial toxic compounds, enabling it to play a regional leadership role in this sensitive area.
Moreover, in 2018, Algeria was the first to offer to host a regional center of excellence for training in assistance and protection against chemical weapons to the OPCW-TS. This center will be dedicated to providing basic and advanced training to personnel from States Parties in the North Africa and Sahel region involved in emergency responses to incidents involving the use of chemical warfare agents and industrial toxic compounds.
Efforts made to digitize processes related to the implementation of the CIAC
In another vein, and in accordance with the guidelines of the country’s highest authorities for the digitalization of processes, as well as to ensure a better understanding among economic operators of concepts related to the CWC, and to facilitate their task of fulfilling their reporting obligations, a website of the Interministerial Committee was developed and launched on September 18, 2018, during the visit of the OPCW Director General, Mr. Fernando Arias, to Algeria. The informational website is updated in real time and remains accessible to all operators. It provides value-added information for the public, particularly for Algerian economic operators. At the same time, it offers simple and quick access to information concerning the CWC.
The website allows Algerian economic operators to submit their annual declarations online, using an electronic form, in complete security and confidentiality, to the Interministerial Committee on their chemical-related activities (import, storage, transfer, manufacture, and/or use).
Organization of the “Chemex Africa” exercise
Also, and for the first time, Algeria organized, in collaboration with the OPCW during the second half of 2023, a multi-component exercise called “CHEMEX Africa,” aimed at strengthening chemical emergency response capacities for the African region.
“CHEMEX Africa” aims to contribute to the reduction of chemical incidents and attacks involving chemical weapons and toxic chemicals and to improve preparedness to respond to them in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The exercise is designed to promote synergies through proven South-South cooperation in this area, with the participation of instructors from the East African Community (EAC), as well as technical teams from North Africa and the Sahel and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). It also aims to consolidate technical support in the areas of assistance and protection against the use or threat of use of chemical weapons or toxic chemicals.
Finally, Algeria, through its regional leadership in this field and its commitment to promoting South-South cooperation, will spare no effort to continue contributing to the activities organized by the OPCW and to ensure the sharing of knowledge, know-how, and experience with all countries in the North Africa and Sahel region.
