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 correctly?

OPCW is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (1997), headquartered at The Hague. It is an independent intergovernmental organisation, not an organ of the European Union. Statement 1 is therefore wrong, which eliminates A, C and D.

Statement 2 is correct. Under the CWC verification regime, OPCW inspects declared chemical facilities, including commercial chemical plants, through routine and challenge inspections. The aim is to ensure scheduled chemicals are not diverted to weapons use.

Statement 3 is correct. Article X of the CWC provides for assistance and protection against chemical weapons threats, including training, detection equipment and emergency response support for States Parties.

• Statement 1: Wrong. OPCW is not an EU body, whatever its cooperation with other agencies.
• Statements 2 and 3: Right, so B is the answer.

Core concept: the CWC rests on three pillars, namely disarmament, non-proliferation and assistance. Mains angle: the OPCW-UN joint mission that oversaw the removal of Syria's chemical weapons in 2013, the year OPCW won the Nobel Peace Prize, is a good case study for GS-II and GS-III on arms control.

Trap: aspirants see cooperation with other bodies and assume OPCW is a regional organisation, or treat statement 1 as partly right. Working with other agencies does not make OPCW an EU organisation.