The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, visited London on 6 June 2013 where he had bilateral discussions with officials in the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and opened the 16th International Chemical Weapons Disarmament Conference.
The conference has been held annually around the world since 1998 to assess global progress in chemical weapons destruction. This year’s event is hosted by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence and the U.S. Department of Defense. In his opening address [PDF 36 KB], the Director-General reported that almost 81 percent of all declared Category 1 chemicals weapons, 52% of Category 2 weapons, and all Category 3 weapons have now been destroyed as verified by the OPCW.
“Before long, we will witness a historic occasion: the first time that an entire category of weapons of mass destruction is eliminated under international verification,” the Director-General told the conference. “But the Chemical Weapons Convention must remain as a permanent barrier against chemical weapons, and the ban against these weapons must therefore be seen not only as the Convention but the norms which underpin it.”
The Director-General said the OPCW will continue looking for opportunities to disseminate the Convention’s norms to the general public, and is encouraging States Parties to host a series of events around the globe in 2014 to help promote education and outreach.
While in London he also delivered a speech at University College London on “The Chemical Weapons Convention: Achievements and Future Challenges”.