Algeria: Ambassador Salima Abdelhak reappointed head of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

Algeria has been re-elected, represented by Ambassador Salima Abdelhak, as the Chair of the 28th Session’s Plenary Committee of the Conference of States Parties through a consensus, in the capacity of the African region.

This choice reflects a renewed confidence in Algeria’s positive role in the field of chemical disarmament and its commitment to achieving the objectives of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The Algerian diplomat stated, «Algeria will continue to collaborate with Council members, whose chemical industries are among the largest globally, to develop policies and initiatives aimed at enhancing global security, preventing the proliferation of chemical weapons, and promoting international cooperation in this domain».

It is worth noting that Algeria is actively participating in this session with a significant delegation consisting of representatives from the National Authority responsible for implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, and the Permanent Representation of Algeria to the OPCW, led by Ambassador Salima Abdelhak in the Netherlands.

In a statement, she highlighted issues of interest for Algeria in the chemical field and other relevant international matters, such as the war in Gaza, where the Algerian delegation displayed a sign in solidarity with the Palestinian people facing unprecedented brutal aggression during this period.

The Chemical Weapons Convention (OPCW), comprising 193 states, has bodies like the Executive Council, consisting of 41 member states elected every two years by the Conference of States Parties.

The OPCW’s mission is to enforce the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention to realize a vision of a world free from chemical weapons and the threat of their use, where chemistry is used in the service of peace, progress, and prosperity.