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Why must member states pass national laws to enforce the Chemical Weapons Convention?
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chemical weapon
American soldiers participating in a simulated gas attack exercise, World War I.
Member states of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) are required to pass national implementing legislation to ensure that the treaty's prohibitions are enforceable within their own jurisdictions.1
By enacting these national laws, states make it illegal for organizations or individuals under their authority to engage in activities banned by the convention, such as the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, transfer, or use of chemical weapons. This legal framework is essential because it extends the international obligations of the treaty to the domestic level, ensuring that private entities and citizens are held accountable for compliance with the global ban on these weapons.1