H.E. Mr Frédéric Labarrère, Permanent Representative of the Principality of Monaco to the OPCW, and Ambassador Fernando Arias, Director-General of the OPCW
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—10 December 2024—The Government of the Principality of Monaco has voluntarily contributed €20,000 to two trust funds of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW): EUR 10,000 to the Trust Fund for Syria Missions and EUR 10,000 to the Trust Fund for Training.
The contribution to the Trust Fund for Syria Missions will be used towards the full elimination of the Syrian Chemical Weapons Programme as well as investigating the allegation of use of chemical weapons in Syria, in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), relevant decisions of the policy-making organs of the OPCW and resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. In particular, the contribution will be used to support the activities of the Declaration Assessment Team (DAT) and deployments of the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM). The contribution to the Trust Fund for Training will be used for a Research Fellowship in Biotoxin Analysis for the Africa Region.
The voluntary contributions were formalised on 2 December 2024 in a signing ceremony held between the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Principality of Monaco to the OPCW, H.E. Mr Frédéric Labarrère, and the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias, at the Organisation’s Headquarters in The Hague.
Ambassador Labarrère said: “This funding complements Monaco’s continuous contribution to supporting OPCW’s activities on the Syrian chemical weapons dossier. With an additional contribution, Monaco will also strengthen its support for OPCW’s ChemTech Centre. By doubling its voluntary funding from 2024, Monaco reaffirms its commitment to advancing the goals of the CWC.”
H.E. Mr Frédéric Labarrère, Permanent Representative of the Principality of Monaco to the OPCW, and Ambassador Fernando Arias, Director-General of the OPCW
The Director-General stated: “I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Monaco for its longstanding support to the OPCW’s work on the Syrian chemical weapons dossier and in upholding the norms and principles of the Chemical Weapons Convention.”
“I also wish to commend Monaco’s commitment to strengthening global chemical safety and security through capacity building and scientific collaboration. Enhancing expertise in biotoxin analysis is vital to addressing chemical threats and fostering resilience, particularly in regions where such specialised knowledge can have a profound impact,” he added.
Background
Monaco has been an active member of the OPCW since the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force in 1997.
Between 2016 and 2024, Monaco has made voluntary contributions totalling EUR 80,000 to the Trust Fund for Syria Missions.
The Declaration Assessment Team was established in 2014 to engage the relevant Syrian authorities to resolve the identified gaps, inconsistencies, and discrepancies in the Syrian declaration. The Fact-Finding Mission was set up in the same year in response to persistent allegations of chemical weapon attacks in Syria, with the task to establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals for hostile purposes. The Investigation and Identification Team began its work in 2019 and is responsible for identifying the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
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.