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.
The CWC is an international treaty, which seeks to eliminate this class of weapons in a verifiable manner. It addresses on Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.
Sri Lanka, like many other countries, has industries engaged in the production, processing, and consumption of toxic chemicals and their precursors for legitimate purposes in sectors such as industry, agriculture, research, medicine, and pharmaceuticals. However, certain chemicals, known as dual-use chemicals, have the potential to be misused for the development of chemical weapons. In line with the objectives of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), it is therefore essential to closely monitor and regulate industrial activities involving such chemicals to ensure their use remains exclusively for peaceful purposes and to prevent any proliferation or misuse.
In order to fulfill the obligations of CWC, Sri Lanka established the National Authority to serve as the National Focal Point for the effective liaison with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and other states parties. At present, National Authority has established under the Ministry of Defence for the Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention at National level.
According to this Act, National Authority of Sri Lanka
