The first observance of Remembrance Day was held on 27 April 2006. Prime Minister Balkenende of the Netherlands addressed the audience attending the solemn ceremony, held at the OPCW headquarters Ieper room.
The Remembrance Day for All Victims of Chemical Warfare was observed for the first time at the Headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague on 27 April 2006. The 178 OPCW Member States implement the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans absolutely the development, production, transfer, stockpiling or use of chemical weapons and also stipulates the irreversible destruction of all existing stocks of these weapons.
The Remembrance Day was established by the OPCW to ensure that the memory of the victims of these weapons is not forgotten. The Remembrance Day also serves to remind all peoples of the horrors of chemical warfare and to prevent its recurrence.
On the occasion of the Remembrance Day’s first observance, the United Nations Secretary-General, H.E. Mr Kofi Annan, forwarded a message to the OPCW and noted that the Convention and the OPCW have played a vital part in international efforts to “exclude completely the possibility of the use of chemical weapons”. Secretary-General Annan called on those States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention to do so without delay. He urged all States Parties to redouble their efforts to work for full implementation of the Convention and to ensure that chemical weapons are kept out of the hands of non-State actors. He stressed that this task will require stepped up vigilance and improved coordination among Governments, international organizations and the private sector. Secretary-General Annan concluded by requesting all States to honour the victims of chemical warfare by pledging to consign these dreadful weapons to the pages of history.
The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E. Mr Jan Peter Balkenende, stated in his address that it is of great importance to remember those killed by chemical weapons attacks and those that are still suffering from the effects of these attacks. He noted that when we remember, we pay tribute to them and we rediscover the importance of our fight for a world of peace and security. Prime Minister Balkenende stressed that through determination and hard work all chemical weapons will be destroyed. He urged that the terrible suffering chemical weapons have caused millions of people should never be forgotten and to honour that memory, we must redouble our efforts to make sure that these attacks will never happen again. Prime Minister Balkenende concluded by underscoring that an expanded and more effective international legal framework will serve to honour all those that have suffered in armed conflict.
The Chairman of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, H.E. Ambassador José Antonio Arróspide Del Busto, Permanent Representative of Peru to the OPCW, indicated in his address that the Remembrance Day is intended as a great tribute to the numerous victims, disappeared and survivors, of the use of chemical weapons. He stated that the commemoration is an expression of the determination of many men and women of good will to make this planet a better place for the present and future generations. Chairman Arróspide noted that a solid OPCW and effective implementation of the Convention may greatly counteract the threat of use and actual use of chemical weapons in the future. In conclusion he extended on behalf of the Organisation prayers and condolences to all the victims of chemical weapons and their families and called upon all Member States to reinvigorate their firm commitment to eliminate chemical weapons for once and forever.
The Chairman of the Executive Council, H.E. Ambassador Alfonso M. Dastis, Permanent Representative of Spain to the OPCW, underscored in his address the fact that the praiseworthy goal of building a world free of chemical weapons has kept the Member States united around a table. He acknowledged that nations belonging to very distant regions and different cultural backgrounds, and holding often opposed political points of view, have been able to give birth to a successful Convention and to guarantee, through this Organisation, its strength and permanent contribution to peace and security. While noting the lack of some very important nations within the OPCW, which Executive Council Chairman Dastis would like to see join soon, he stated that the very wide membership of the OPCW provides it with a high level of legitimacy. In his estimation, the culture of multilateralism and dialogue is an outstanding contribution that this organisation may offer to international society. Executive Council Chairman Dastis stated that when the goal is noble and the rules fair and transparent, the nations of good will are ready to work together, to which the OPCW’s healthy ten-year-old project bears witness. In conclusion, he looked upon the goals achieved thus far as an invitation for the Member States to keep working for the implementation of the Convention and to be guided in that effort by the memories of the past and by the determination no to have to mourn any future victims of chemical weapons.
In his address, OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, recalled that unprotected civilians are the main target of chemical weapons. Director-General Pfirter stressed that due to the challenge posed by the threat of chemical terrorism there is no room for complacency. He noted in this regard that the destruction of declared chemical weapons stockpiles is far from complete and the Convention’s full implementation by all Member States has yet to be achieved. Director-General Pfirter called upon all countries to join the Convention to rid the world of chemical weapons once and for all, in particular all those in the Middle East, as well North Korea. In conclusion, he noted that Remembrance Day means paying due tribute to the suffering and death of the thousands of victims of chemical warfare, as well as recognising effective multilateralism at work, renewing the international community’s determination to prevent any further use of chemical weapons, and ensuring that chemistry is used exclusively for the benefit of people the world over.
Speaking on behalf of the African Regional Group, H.E. Ambassador Abuelgasim Abdelwahid Sheikh Idris, Permanent Representative of Sudan to the OPCW, recalled that the name of Ieper is deeply engraved on the African memory because Africans were among victims of the first mass use of chemical weapons at Ieper, Belgium in 1915. Ambassador Idris recalled that the African Union at its inaugural Summit meeting in Durban, South Africa in 2002 adopted a Decision on the Universality and Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and called for the African Region to be a Chemical Weapons-Free Zone. He noted that 46 African Nations are Member States signifying the commitment of that region to the objectives of the Convention and by so doing making the world a better place for future generations to live.
In his address on behalf of the Asian Regional Group, Mr Malik Azhar Ellahi, Alternate Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the OPCW, stated that the Remembrance Day gathering honours the memory of those who suffered death and injury by chemical weapons and serves to keep them alive in our collective conscience. He recalled that their sacrifices impelled global action to completely prohibit this abhorrent means of warfare. Mr Ellahi underscored the fact that the only means to ensure that our technical civilization would not one day become the cause of its own destruction was, and remains, the complete elimination of such horrendous weapons and unremitting efforts for the promotion of international peace and security for all.
The Coordinator for the Eastern European Group —Mr. Plamen Ivanov, Alternate Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the OPCW— noted in his address that the devastating impact chemical weapons have had in the past, and the potential for the use of modern, even more deadly, chemical agents not only by States at war, but in other violent conflicts and by non-State actors, provide an imperative for the international effort to uphold the ban on such weapons and to work for their complete, global elimination. He stated that by achieving the universal, full and effective application of the Convention, all Member States will have passed on a crucial legacy of enhanced peace and security for future generations, as well as honoring the memory of the victims of chemical weapons.
Speaking on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean Group, H.E. Ambassador Carlos Mora, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the OPCW, underlined the Region’s role at the forefront of the international efforts in the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction. He noted that for the Latin American and Caribbean Group, the Chemical Weapons Convention represents one of the main pillars of the international security framework, an efficient instrument to contain the threat of chemical weapons proliferation. He called upon the Member States to continue the fight against terrorism in the field of non-proliferation. Ambassador Mora stated that the memories of the victims of chemical warfare must liberate the will to fulfil the main aim of the Convention, the total and verifiable elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction within a fixed timeframe.
In his capacity as Coordinator for the Western European and Other States Group, H.E. Ambassador Mr Alfonso Dastis, Permanent Representative of Spain to the OPCW, stated in his address that today Member States can proudly say that no Member State has used this kind of lethal weapons since the entry into force of the Convention, which, after the horrifying experiences the world has undergone during the past century, is indeed worthy of celebration. He noted that this result is precisely the objective of the OPCW’s efforts. He indicated that the new threats to peace and security, namely the possibility of terrorist attacks, are per se a sound reason to give renewed value to the Convention. Ambassador Mr Alfonso Dastis highlighted the fact that universality and full implementation of the Convention have become indispensable to guarantee the highest level of protection. He concluded by renewing, in the name of the Western European and Other States Group, their commitment to the Convention and to its objectives.
H.E. Ambassador Bozorgmehr Ziaran, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the OPCW, submitted in his statement the proposal to mobilise an international support network to provide special care and services to those that suffer from the effects of exposure to chemical weapons. He expressed the sentiments of his nation as it grieves for those that lost their lives to chemical weapons and stands by those that continue to suffer.
The Remembrance Day commemoration in The Hague was attended by representatives of OPCW Member States, as well as representatives of other international organizations, among them the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization.
PR27 / 2006, released 2 May 2006