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With reference to 'Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)', consider the following statements : 1. It is an organization of European Union in working relation with NATO and WHO. 2. It monitors chemical industry to prevent new weapons from emerging. 3. It provides assistance and protection to States (Parties) against chemical weapons threats. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
The correct answer is option B (statements 2 and 3 only).
**Statement 1 is incorrect**: The OPCW is an intergovernmental organization based in The Hague, established by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)[2]. It is not an organization of the European Union, but rather an independent international organization with global membership.
**Statement 2 is correct**: The verification provisions of the CWC affect not only the military sector but also the civilian chemical industry worldwide through certain restrictions and obligations regarding the production, processing, and consumption of chemicals that are considered relevant to the objectives of the Convention[3]. This monitoring helps prevent new chemical weapons from emerging.
**Statement 3 is correct**: The Convention includes provisions for assistance and protection against the use of chemical weapons[4], which the OPCW implements for States Parties.
Therefore, only statements 2 and 3 are correct, making option B the right answer.
Sources- [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/chemical-weapon
- [2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1212411714000105
- [3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/chemical-weapon
- [4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/disarmament
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis question is a 'Current Affairs Echo'—OPCW was hot due to the Syrian crisis and its 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. The difficulty is artificial; UPSC used a 'Parent Body Swap' trap in Statement 1 (labeling a global body as an EU agency) to make a simple fact-check look complex. If you track international bodies, this is a sitter; if you rely only on static books, it's a guess.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Is the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) an organization of the European Union?
- Statement 2: Does the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have a working relationship with NATO?
- Statement 3: Does the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have a working relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO)?
- Statement 4: Does the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) monitor the chemical industry to prevent the emergence of new chemical weapons?
- Statement 5: Does the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) provide assistance and protection to States Parties against chemical weapons threats?
- Explicitly calls the OPCW an "intergovernmental organization," which means it is composed of states, not an EU institution.
- Saying it is intergovernmental directly refutes the claim that it is an organization of the European Union.
- States the OPCW is in The Hague and was established by the Chemical Weapons Convention, indicating an independent treaty-based body.
- Location and founding by the CWC support that it is an international organization, not an EU agency.
- Says the OPCW "was established ... and was located in the Hague," showing it is an organization created to implement the CWC rather than an EU body.
- Being established to implement a global convention indicates an international role, not membership in the EU institutional structure.
States that the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) was acceded to by 193 states, framing it as a near-universal global treaty rather than a regional (EU) instrument.
A student could infer that the implementing body for such a widely‑ratified treaty is likely a global organisation and therefore check whether OPCW is an independent international body rather than an EU agency.
Lists major multilateral chemical/environmental conventions (Rotterdam, Stockholm) as examples of international environmental agreements (MEAs), illustrating that chemical regulation frequently operates through global treaties.
Use the pattern that chemical-related regimes are commonly global MEAs to suspect OPCW is linked to a global convention (CWC) and thus not necessarily an EU organisation.
Describes the formal status of International Organization Partners (IOPs) associated with a treaty, showing treaties often create independent institutional partnerships and bodies.
A student could generalise that treaty implementation often uses specialised international organisations (not regional bodies like the EU) and therefore look up whether OPCW was established by an international treaty.
Gives an explicit example of an initiative 'administered by The European Commission' (GCCA), showing the EU creates and runs its own institutions/initiatives.
Compare this model (EU-administered body) with OPCW: if OPCW were an EU organisation, one would expect similar phrasing (e.g., 'administered by the European Commission'); the absence of such language in OPCW descriptions would suggest it is not an EU body.
Discusses the EU's role as a regional political and diplomatic actor distinct from global organisations such as the UN or WTO, highlighting the distinction between EU institutions and universal international bodies.
A student could use this distinction to reason that organisations tied to global universality (like those implementing near-universal treaties) are separate from EU-specific institutions and should verify OPCW's founding instrument and membership scope.
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This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
Login with Google to unlock all statements.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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