OPCWtalkOctober2025
| Event How to read an OPCW TAV report | |
|---|---|
| Name | How to read an OPCW TAV report |
| Contact | Oops |
| Duration | 2025-10-17 19:30 - 2025-10-17 20:30 |
| Information | A quasi-technical talk about OPCW topics by a policy person for a non-specialist technical audience
|
Introduction
The OPCW is an intergovernmental organization based in The Hague, committed to the prohibition of chemical weapons. It is created by the Chemical Weapons Convention.
This talk will discuss a bit of what the OPCW does, how we got to have it, what it doesn't do. We'll look at some of the regular work the OPCW does (industry inspections around the world) and the special work -- investigations and fact-finding, particularly in Syria, Ukraine and the UK.
Background reading
I'll add in some links here for past reports by the OPCW's fact-finding mission, technical assistance visits.
For enthusiasts
OPCW top level pages
- Syria (includes reports from DAT, FFM and IIT)
- Ukraine (includes three TAV reports)
- Science for Diplomats
- Scientific Advisory Board
Open Source analysis
Other
Books
- Toxic by Dan Kaszeta
- The Dead Hand by David Hoffmann
- Underground by Haruki Murakami
Podcasts
- Poisons and Pestilence by Brett Edwards
- Arms Control Wonk on Novichoks
Outline
- What is the OPCW and what it tries to do
- Mechanisms explicitly set out in the CWC
- Other mechanisms which the OPCW has developed
- What the OPCW has done in the past
- Regular: chemical weapons demilitarisation, OCW and ACW
- Non-routine: Syria, Libya, Panama ACW, Iraq (para 13), Malaysia, UK (Skripals, Amesbury), Germany (Navalny)
- What you can find to read from these things
- How to read some of them
- How policy mechanisms respond to technical outcomes
Format
I will likely have slides but that’s partly to help me keep on track. I’ll try to speak for 20-30 minutes then take questions.