Speaking at a recent meeting of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü highlighted the successes of the OPCW and reaffirmed its resolve to eliminate all chemical weapons through the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)
Organized under the United Nations’ Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the Conference on Disarmament serves as a multilateral negotiating forum for the international community to discuss a variety of disarmament issues.
“The CWC can serve as an excellent example of what can be accomplished with political will by the international community,” Üzümcü said during his opening statement.
The Director-General also warned against a “misplaced sense of contentment”, noting the recent use of toxic chemical weapons such as sarin and sulfur mustard gas in the Syrian Arab Republic.
At the conclusion of his speech, Üzümcü met with Michael Møller, Director-General of the UN’s Geneva Office, to discuss the OPCW’s priority activities, including its ongoing investigation into the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic.
OPCW serves as the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Entered into force in 1997, the convention represents the most-successful disarmament treaty in history targeting an entire class of weapons. It is the most successful disarmament treaty targeting an entire class of weapons of mass destruction in history.
To date, approximately 95 percent of all chemical weapons stockpiles declares by OPCW’s 192 Member States have been destroyed under the organization’s verification.