Director-General H.E. Ambassador Fernando Arias, Minister of Interior of the State of Palestine, H.E. Mr Ziyad Hab-Al-Reeh
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—23 May 2023—The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias, had a meeting with the Minister of Interior of the State of Palestine, H.E. Mr Ziyad Hab Al-Reeh, on 15 May 2024 at the OPCW Headquarters in The Hague.
During the meeting, Director-General Arias and the Minister discussed a wide range of issues related to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. They both underlined the importance of upholding the norm against chemical weapons in the current volatile international security environment to advance peace and global security.
The Director-General underscored that preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons is a top priority for the OPCW in the post-destruction phase. In this regard, he underlined that it is essential to monitor advances in science and technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), that could have a significant impact on chemical non-proliferation, and that the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre) is an important tool for the Organisation to keep pace with these developments. The Director-General also underlined that an increasing number of capacity building activities are being delivered through the Centre to strengthen chemical safety and security in Member States.
“Joint efforts by the international community remain necessary to tackle the threat of chemical weapons use by anyone anywhere,” the Director-General said. “The OPCW stands ready to assist the State of Palestine and all its other Member States in ensuring that chemistry is only used for peaceful purposes.”
“As a Minister of Interior of the State of Palestine, I am proud to affirm our unwavering commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention and its noble objectives. Our nation stands firmly behind the principles of disarmament, non-proliferation, and the prohibition of chemical weapons,” the Minister said.
“We recognize the critical importance of the OPCW’s mission in ensuring compliance with the Convention and preventing the use of chemical weapons anywhere in the world. Our government continues to actively support and cooperate with the OPCW in its efforts to achieve a world free from the threat of chemical warfare,” he highlighted.
“I want to express my gratitude to the OPCW for its tireless work in safeguarding global security and promoting peace. The State of Palestine remains dedicated to upholding the values and obligations outlined in the Chemical Weapons Convention,” he added.
Background
The State of Palestine joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in June 2018.
The ChemTech Centre, which was inaugurated on 12 May 2023, enhanced the OPCW’s ability to conduct chemical research and analysis. This significantly reinforced its verification regime and inspection capabilities of chemical industries around the world. In addition, an increasing number of capacity development activities are being delivered through the Centre, including chemical emergency response trainings and analytical skills development courses for experts from Member States.
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.
In 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.