THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 5 March 2017 — In response to allegations of chemical weapon use in Mosul, Iraq, the Spokesperson for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) stated, “The OPCW is seriously concerned by reports alleging the use of chemical weapons in Mosul, Iraq. The OPCW has asked Iraqi authorities for more information and has offered its assistance to the Iraqi investigation. States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention deem the use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances as reprehensible and wholly contrary to the legal norms established by the international community. Perpetrators must be held accountable.”
Background
The Chemical Weapons Convention comprehensively prohibits the use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of chemical weapons. Any chemical used for warfare is considered a chemical weapon by the Convention.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997 – and with its 192 States Parties – it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
To date, nearly 94 per cent of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor States have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Prize for Peace.
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