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<p>The United Kingdom’s priorities for both the Conference of States Parties and Review
Conference are to continue working with states around the world to support progress
towards universal and full national implementation of the Convention and to uphold
the ban on chemical weapons development, production, stockpiling and use. The UK will
focus on strengthening implementation of the Convention including through effective
implementation of the Decision taken at the June 2018 special Conference of States
Parties on which the former Foreign Secretary updated the House on 9 July (<em>Official
Report</em>, House of Commons, volume 644, column 29WS), and securing a budget for
2019 to allow the critical work of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons to continue unimpeded.</p><p>The fact that I plan to represent the UK at the
Review Conference, and my noble friend the Deputy Leader of the House of Lords and
Minister of State for Defence also plans to attend the Conference of States Parties,
indicates the importance the United Kingdom attaches to the Convention and the significant
role it plays in the rules-based international system.</p><p></p>
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