H.E. Mr Thomas Schieb, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the OPCW, and Ambassador Fernando Arias, OPCW Director-General
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—19 December 2023— The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has contributed €496,000 to two trust funds of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The amount of €420,000 will be allocated to the Trust Fund for the Implementation of Article X to support ongoing assistance and protection programmes, including €220,000 earmarked for assistance and protection activities related to Ukraine. The remainder of the contribution, €76,000, will be allocated to the Trust Fund for OPCW Events to strengthen engagement with civil society organisations and reinforce OPCW’s leadership role in chemical weapons disarmament and non-proliferation.
The voluntary contribution was formalised on 11 December 2023 in a signing ceremony held between the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the OPCW, H.E. Mr Thomas Schieb, and the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias, at the OPCW’s Headquarters in The Hague.
“Germany is pleased to support the important work of the OPCW with a voluntary contribution of almost half a million Euro in total. With our contribution, we intend to help further improve Ukraine’s ability to detect and protect its people from the use of chemical weapons,” said Ambassador Schieb.
“Among others, we will also contribute to financing the ICA Assistance and Protection programme, also with an aim at enhancing the gender perspective,” he added.
“In support of our ongoing efforts to improve the engagement with civil society, including science and the chemical industry, we will support creating more opportunities for a meaningful interaction with civil society,” he highlighted.
The Director-General stated: “I express my sincere appreciation to the Government of Germany for its support to these important projects. This contribution will help the Organisation to bolster chemical emergency preparedness in Member States and enhance engagement with civil society in relation to the implementation of the Convention.”
Background
The Federal Republic of Germany has been an active member of the OPCW since the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force in 1997. Germany is currently represented in the OPCW Executive Council, the Advisory Body on Administrative and Financial Matters, the Confidentiality Commission, the Scientific Advisory Board, and the Advisory Board on Education and Outreach.
To date, Germany has contributed a total of €12,929,550 to various OPCW trust funds, including the Trust Fund for the Implementation of Article X, the Trust Fund for Training, and the Trust Fund for Syria Missions.
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.
On 7 July 2023, the OPCW verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997 — totalling 72,304 metric tonnes of chemical agents — have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW’s strict verification regime.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.