France strengthens chemical weapons ban by paying 900,000 euros to the OPCW

Lina Portman3 days ago

0 3 minutes read

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) welcomes France's voluntary contributions, totalling €902,500, to support investigative efforts in Syria, strengthening global chemical security and promoting civil society engagement in disarmament efforts.

This contribution was formalized on July 1, 2024 during a signing ceremony organized between the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the French Republic to the OPCW, HE Mr. François Alabrune, and the Director General of the OPCW, Ambassador Fernando Arias, at the OPCW headquarters in The Hague.

France has allocated 800,000 euros to the OPCW's work in Syria, including the Declaration Assessment Team (DAT), the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) and the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT).

€70,000 will be allocated to support CHEMEX Africa 2025, an initiative aimed at strengthening chemical incident response capacities in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The project will include comprehensive training sessions and practical exercises to improve regional cooperation and preparedness for chemical threats.

An amount of €30,000 will be allocated to support the Integrated Advanced Course and Exercise for French-speaking Member States in Africa. This training will strengthen the chemical emergency response capacities of the OPCW French-speaking Member States, enabling experts to effectively manage complex scenarios.

In addition, EUR 2,500 will be allocated to support dialogue and engagement with civil society organisations, promote awareness-raising and support the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) at the national and regional levels. These efforts include facilitating civil society participation in OPCW events and capacity-building workshops, particularly for representatives from developing countries.

“I am particularly honoured to announce this new French voluntary contribution to support the mandate and crucial work of the OPCW. France commends the important and impartial work carried out by the OPCW towards the complete elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons programme and in the investigation into the use of chemical weapons in Syria,” said Ambassador Alabrune.

“While the resurgence of chemical weapons use remains a major concern, France is fully mobilized to provide the Organization with the means to continue its missions. We are also pleased to support the OPCW’s capacity-building efforts aimed at strengthening the preparedness and response capacities of African States Parties in the event of a chemical incident or attack, as part of our continued commitment, alongside African countries, in the fight for international security and against terrorism. This contribution will also strengthen engagement with civil society to raise awareness and support the full implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, including at the national and regional levels,” he added.

Director-General Arias said: “France’s significant contributions to the OPCW’s activities in Syria demonstrate its unwavering commitment to the international norm against the chemical weapons taboo. Furthermore, through its support for training, capacity-building programmes and civil society engagement, France is strengthening regional preparedness for chemical threats and advancing our collective goal of a world free of chemical weapons. Such partnerships are essential to ensure that we can respond effectively to emerging challenges and uphold the global norm against chemical weapons.”

Background

France has been an active member of the OPCW since the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997. France is a member of the OPCW Executive Council, the Organization's governing body.

To date, France has made voluntary contributions totalling EUR 10,816,907 to nine OPCW trust funds, including the Article X Implementation Trust Fund, the Chemistry and Technology Centre Trust Fund and the Syria Mission Trust Fund.

As the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global effort to eliminate chemical weapons once and for all. Since its entry into force in 1997, the Convention has been the most effective disarmament treaty to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.

In 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 – had been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW’s strict verification regime.

For its significant efforts to eliminate chemical weapons, the OPCW was awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.

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