H.E. Ms Consuelo Femenía, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the OPCW, and Ambassador Fernando Arias, OPCW Director-General
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—2 November 2022—The Government of the Kingdom of Spain has contributed €200,000 to the Trust Fund for the Implementation of Article X at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The contribution will be used to support assistance and protection capacity-building activities related to Ukraine conducted under Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The voluntary contribution was formalised at a signing ceremony on 28 October 2022 by the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the OPCW, H.E. Ms Consuelo Femenía, and OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias, at the Organisation’s headquarters in The Hague.
Ambassador Consuelo Femenía stated: “Spain is pleased to announce a further voluntary contribution to the OPCW to support the activities under Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Spain, one of the first signatories of the Convention, is a longstanding supporter of the OPCW and its fundamental work. Spain remains determined to continue increasing its support in the wide array of activities led by the Technical Secretariat.”
The Director-General remarked: “I thank the Government of the Kingdom of Spain for its continuous support to the OPCW. Capacity-building activities are critical for the Organisation’s Member States to respond to emergency and non-routine situations. Assistance and protection measures ensure greater capacity for Member States to confidently handle chemical crises.”
Background
Spain has been an active member of the OPCW since the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force in 1997.
Under Article X of the CWC, Member States “have the right to participate in the fullest possible exchange of equipment, material and scientific and technological information concerning means of protection against chemical weapons.”
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
Over 99% of all declared chemical weapon stockpiles have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.