UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for decisive global action to eliminate chemical weapons on Saturday. Saturday marks the Day of Remembrance of All Victims of Chemical Warfare when he also called on the international community to reaffirm its commitment to ending this threat once and for all.
In his message, Antonio Guterres emphasized the important achievement of the past year–the complete destruction of declared chemical weapons stockpiles–but also cautioned that the past decade has witnessed a resurgence of chemical weapons. He also highlighted that this threat is even more acute due to the rapid development of science and technology, stating: “The global community must speak with one voice and reaffirm commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention, end impunity and live up to the Pact for the Future’s pledge to a world free of these weapons.”
The Chemical Weapons Convention (СWC) prohibits the use of chemical weapons and the large-scale development, production, stockpiling or transfer of these weapons or their precursors, except for minimal research, medical, pharmaceutical or defensive purposes. The main obligations of member states under the СWC are to implement this prohibition, destroy all existing chemical weapons, and assist other Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons states parties in the event of the use of chemical weapons. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organization and executive body of the Convention. It was established to supervise compliance, ensure verification and facilitate international cooperation between its member states.
Although international conventions prohibit the use of chemical weapons amidst hostilities, Ukraine accused Russia of violating the international norm in 815 recorded attacks in February 2024. In another instance in May, Syrian and international human rights groups called on France to support the independent investigation against Bashar Al-Assad on the 2013 Syrian chemical attack.
The Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Weapons was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2005 and is observed annually on November 30. This annual event is of great significance as a symbol of peace and cooperation in ensuring global security, as it aims to honor the victims of chemical warfare and reaffirm the commitment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to eliminate the threat of chemical weapons. It serves as a reminder of the need to continuously fight against weapons of mass destruction and the development of peaceful technologies.
