OPCW head gives talk on disarmament for peace

The leader of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Ahmet Uzumcu gave a speech on Monday entitled “Re-arming our Humanity: Contributions of Disarmament to Peace.”

The speech marks 20 years since the Chemical Weapons Convention concluded, making it the only remaining multilateral disarmament treaty that bans an entire class of weapons of mass destruction that is regulated through international verification.

“Today, 91 percent of the world’s declared chemical weapons have been destroyed under international verification,” Uzumcu said. “This amounts to more than 64,000 tonnes of the deadliest poisons ever produced. As a result of these efforts, an entire class of weapons of mass destruction is now at the threshold of being completely eradicated. It is for this very tangible achievement that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013. The terrible suffering of those who became victims of chemical warfare cannot be forgotten. The best way to honor their memory is through our determination to prevent such tragedies occurring in the future.”

Uzumcu said that the organization will judge success not only by the number of weapons destroyed, but the weapons that won’t be rebuilt. The organization added that stockpiles remain in Russia and the United States and will be destroyed within the next seven years.