Canadian Ambassador Sabine Nölke, along with Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Director-General and Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, announced on Wednesday that Canada would provide an additional $2.8 million to the organization’s investigative efforts in Syria.
“Canada is pleased to support OPCW activities to verify the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons program and to investigate allegations of chemical weapons use through its Fact-Finding Mission,” Nölke said. “Since 2013, the OPCW has played a crucial role in addressing the threat posed by chemical weapons in Syria. We commend the organization’s staff for their tireless efforts under difficult circumstances.”
Canada has previously provided the OPCW with voluntary funds of the organization’s efforts in Syria, and this investment will bring the country’s total amount of contributions to $8.7 million. This complements a matching $2 million investment made by the Canadian government to the OPCW-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism to investigate and hold accountable the parties responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
“I welcome this significant contribution by Canada to the Trust Fund for Syria Missions,” Üzümcü said. “These funds will help the OPCW’s important work toward the complete elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons program.”