Chairperson of the Executive Council, Ambassador Lucian Fatu,
Excellencies,
Deputy Director-General,
Distinguished diplomats,
OPCW staff,
I welcome you to the Centre for Chemistry and Technology. For the first time, this annual briefing for Permanent Representations to the OPCW based outside The Hague, does not take place in Brussels.
It makes me very happy to receive you here, in this new building, that you will have the opportunity to visit later in the morning. This meeting will allow us to highlight the Organisation’s ongoing activities, and to brief you on the preparations for the forthcoming session of the Conference of the States Parties.
2023 is a memorable year.
- In 2023, we marked the thirtieth anniversary of the opening for signature in Paris of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
- In May, we inaugurated this building, that we call the Centre for Chemistry and Technology. It was a remarkable occasion, because the ceremony took place in the presence of HM Willem Alexander, King of the Netherlands, and the event marked a common success of all the States Parties and multilateral diplomacy.
- Also in May, the Fifth Review Conference took place in The Hague. This was a well-attended, comprehensive and inclusive forum, which provided guidance, and a sound basis for our future work.
- Furthermore, on 7 July, in the United States, the last remaining declared chemical weapons were verified by the Secretariat as destroyed. It means that a total of 72,304 metric tonnes of the most toxic chemicals, has been irreversibly destroyed, under stringent verification. This milestone is an incontestable success for multilateralism, and a major achievement for the international community.
Some may think that the fulfilment of one of the Convention’s main objectives, marks the beginning of a new phase for the OPCW. One in which, we must address, new and emerging developments.
But the truth is that we already had a vision five years ago, and we started to prepare the Secretariat of the Organisation, to be ready to face the new threats and risks, emerging from progress in science and technology. That is why, we dedicated special attention to the design and construction of this new, and sophisticated building, that is already enabling us to maintain and develop our capacities.
At the moment, 193 States Parties are members of the Convention. Only 4 States, are not members. The objectives of the Convention, will not be fully realised, as long as there remains a single State not Party, that could possess, or acquire, such weapons.
In this context, I appreciate the presence of Ambassador Samuel Luate Lominsuk of South Sudan. Last month, I met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of South Sudan, Mr James Pitiya Morgan.
It was a positive and pleasant meeting. The minister recognised the importance of upholding the global norm against chemical weapons, and we discussed at length South Sudan’s progress toward treaty accession. At the end of the meeting, we signed a joint communiqué, stating our agreement to work together, to complete the accession process, as soon as possible. I want to express my gratitude to Ambassador Luate and his Embassy for all your efforts in this respect.
Despite near universal adherence to the Convention, recent years have witnessed the use of chemical weapons in Iraq, Malaysia, Russia, Syria, and the United Kingdom. And in Ukraine, there are allegations of chemical weapons use, from both sides. In response, the Organisation has addressed every case, according to its specific circumstances. The Secretariat has continued its activities related to assistance and protection, upon Ukraine’s request, including training first responders, and preparing the delivery of protective and detection equipment.
Persistent violations of the Convention, highlight that the Secretariat must remain agile, and retain the necessary knowledge and operational capacity, to respond. At the same time, the chemical industry is expanding rapidly, in both, complexity and geographical diversity, alongside the exponential growth in global chemical trade. The chemical industry is increasingly using, for legal purposes, dual use chemicals, whose transportation, storage, and use, should be carefully monitored. This development also multiplies the risks, of toxic chemicals being diverted for hostile purposes.
Rapid progress in science and technology, is an area that demands constant attention. These advancements offer opportunities, such as improvements to verification techniques, and States Parties ability to fulfil their commitments. At the same time, their potential for misuse, is a concern, requiring sustained monitoring. Artificial intelligence (AI), for instance, will generate immense benefits, and may specifically be used to predict the development of new toxic chemicals, or identify irregular patterns in chemical trade flows. But in the wrong hands, AI could also be used to design, develop, and produce, new or already known chemicals, with high toxicity. The design, development and production processes, can be very fast. They might not require classic chemical precursors.
Such misuse, undermines verification, and circumvents the domestic and international trade controls. In particular, terrorists may take advantage of this, and other technological advances. Our Open-Ended Working Group on Terrorism will remain a vital contribution in this regard.
More fundamentally, the implementation of the OPCW’s verification regime, will underpin our efforts, in curbing diversion and ensuring confidence in adherence to the Convention. The Secretariat continues to carry out the inspections of the chemical industry and has so far this year conducted 166 industry inspections. Additionally, we have been verifying approximately 5,000 declared chemical production facilities.
To maintain a robust verification regime, it must be adapted to the current trends in the chemical industry, namely:
• the growth in its scale and complexity;
• the expanding number of industrial sites, that use schedule 2 chemicals; and
• the geographical distribution, of production sites.
In this context, I welcome States Parties ongoing deliberations within the industry cluster on how to address these issues.
Our mandate also relates to abandoned chemical weapons and old chemical weapons. On abandoned chemical weapons (ACWs), China and Japan have continued bilateral consultations on the excavation, recovery and destruction of chemical weapons abandoned by Japan on Chinese territory at the end of the II World War. As at 31 august 2023, a total of 78,092 of the 105,234 declared items of ACWs on Chinese territory have been destroyed. The Secretariat also continues to oversee the disposal of old chemical weapons that are the legacy of the first and second World Wars.
Distinguished delegates,
An outstanding task that must also be addressed is our decade long engagement in the Syrian Arab Republic. Reflecting on 10 years of Syria’s membership to the Organisation, the Secretariat prepared a Note dated 27 September 2023, which has been shared with all States Parties.
This Note recounts Syria’s accession to the Convention and covers the challenges faced in ensuring Syria’s compliance with it. It outlines what is yet to be completed for Syria to fully meet its obligations. Finally, it provides points for consideration by States Parties in this regard.
Despite the destruction of all declared chemical weapons-related facilities and stockpiles declared by Syria, our work is ongoing. Syria has failed to declare the production and fate of substantial quantities and types of chemical warfare agents. It has also failed to declare large quantities of aerial bombs, specifically designed to carry chemical warfare agents. Additionally chemical weapons-related facilities and relevant activities have not been declared or fully declared.
Until a few weeks ago, Syria hindered the Secretariat’s work, by refusing to issue an entry visa to the lead technical expert from the Declaration Assessment Team (DAT), preventing it from deploying to Syria’s territory, to help resolve the serious outstanding issues I have mentioned. Regardless of this situation, the DAT has continued its efforts to clarify the shortcomings identified in Syria’s initial declaration. To date, the Secretariat has not received any of the documents repeatedly requested from Syria. Eventually, last month, after two and a half years, Syria issued the visa requested for the lead technical expert. The Syrian National Authority finally accepted the convening of the 25th round of consultations with the DAT with all its members. While I welcome this development, it is unfortunate that it took two and a half years of efforts from the Secretariat for Syria to accept rounds of consultations with all experts.
Concerning the Secretariat’s other activities, the FFM is currently gathering information and analysing data regarding five groups of allegations covering over 15 incidents. The FFM is also in contact with the Syrian authorities in preparation for upcoming deployments. On 27 January this year, the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) of the Organisation issued its third report. Its conclusion was that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Syrian Arab Air Forces were the perpetrators of the chemical weapons attack in Douma on 7 April 2018. As a consequence, 43 named individuals were killed and dozens more affected. The IIT continues progressing with its investigations.
I wish to underline that the mandates related to the Syrian chemical dossier, conferred by the Convention and decisions of the policy-making organs, remain binding on all States Parties, as well as on the Secretariat.
Distinguished delegates,
Preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons requires us to boost our programmes devoted to assistance and protection, and to enhance national implementation of the Convention. In 2023, the Secretariat has so far conducted 65 training courses, workshops and seminars benefitting 1,795 participants.
Under the name CHEMEX Africa, an event took place at the beginning of October, and co-organised by Algeria and the OPCW, and financed by Canada. This was the first pan-African chemical emergency response capacity-building exercise. It was held, with great success, in line with the priorities identified in the Africa Programme, which you will be briefed on later by its coordinator, Mr. Dawsar Drissi. CHEMEX Africa has been an excellent example, of successful international cooperation, a subject that Mr. Li Zhao, the Acting Director of the International Cooperation and Assistance Division, will comment upon later.
Distinguished delegates,
The best example of the Organisation’s adaptation to the new times, has been the conceptualisation, design, and construction of the Centre for Chemistry and Technology (CCT). Thanks to the vision of the States Parties, the Organisation is already utilising this powerful tool, to respond to the new tasks that lie ahead. A number of capacity-building activities have already taken place here, including:
• An Analytical Chemistry Course for Women Chemists; and
• A training course on Investigation of Incidents Involving Toxic Industrial Chemicals.
The Secretariat has also made use of the CCT, for training the inspectors, as well as for laboratory exercises, and proficiency testing. The Secretariat foresees to increase the activities in the CCT related to training, research and access to the most modern equipment, so that we stay abreast of scientific and technological developments. The Secretariat will gradually develop the high potential of the building, increasing the number, and substance, of the activities, in line with the OPCWs programme and budget.
This brings me to the very important issue of the draft biennium programme and budget, for 2024-2025. The budget proposal, which at the end of the month will be considered by the Conference, reflects the realistic agenda of the Organisation, which I have touched upon.
The adoption of this budget is critical for ensuring that the Organisation can continue to fulfil its mandates, in an increasingly demanding technological, and international security context. I count on your support, in ensuring that the Organisation receives the financial resources it requires.
Financial resources aside, maintaining a world-class service, also requires the ability to attract, retain, and develop top talent, that is diverse, recruited from the widest possible geographical base, taking into account gender balance. I welcome the decision of the States Parties, to form a Working Group on geographical distribution.
Equally important is the decision to establish a facilitation on tenure policy, with a view to bringing to the Conference recommendations on a more flexible implementation. Such flexibility is vital, for the Organisation’s ability to retain specialised institutional capacity, in exceptional circumstances. It is in the interest of States Parties, to ensure that the Secretariat maintains the capability to support you, in implementing Convention.
As I mentioned during the last session of the Council in October, we are witnessing, an increased interest from the public, and key stakeholders, in the Organisation’s activities. In my own high-level discussions with senior officials in the United Arab Emirates in September, and in Algeria and Qatar last month, I was pleased, by the level of interest in, and support for, the OPCW’s work. In the current disarmament and non-proliferation degraded environment, the ongoing support and commitment of all States Parties, is key for upholding our common work, to eradicate chemical weapons from the world.
I look forward to listening to the different presentations, included in our programme for this morning. They will assist you in preparing for the upcoming Conference of the States Parties, that will take place from 27 November until 1 December.
I thank you for your attention.