The Day of Remembrance, observed on Saturday, honors those killed or injured by chemical weapons and calls on countries to ensure such horrors are never repeated.
In his message, the Secretary-General highlighted the important milestone achieved last year, namely the complete destruction of stockpiles declared under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
“but The past decade has seen a resurgence of these weapons. With the rapid development of science and technology, the threat is growing further.“He warned.
Prime Minister Guterres called on the international community to reaffirm its commitment to ending this scourge once and for all.
“The global community must reaffirm its commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention with one voice.“Keep your commitments in the Pact for the Future to end impunity and create a world without these weapons,” he said.
The Compact for the Future, adopted at the Future Summit last September, aims to strengthen global cooperation to address urgent challenges such as disarmament, development, climate change and human rights, and ensure a peaceful and sustainable future for all.
Keeping Memories Alive
In addition to being a call to action, the Day of Remembrance is also a solemn event to honor the victims of chemical warfare.
This is a stark reminder of the enormous human cost of these weapons and our collective responsibility to ensure they are never used again.
This day is observed annually on 30 November or, as appropriate, on the first day of the regular session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention.
war on chemical weapons
The international community’s efforts to eliminate chemical weapons date back over 100 years.
These weapons caused catastrophic destruction during World War I, killing over 100,000 people and injuring one million more.
Although chemical weapons were not used on European battlefields during World War II, growing awareness of their devastating effects led to calls for comprehensive disarmament.
Chemical Weapons Convention
The Convention on the Development, Production, Stockpiling, Use and Destruction of Chemical Weapons (Chemical Weapons Convention, CWC), adopted in 1992, is the cornerstone of this effort.
Since it entered into force in 1997, it has been ratified by 193 countries, making it one of the most widely accepted international disarmament agreements.
The CWC prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and mandates the destruction of existing stockpiles and production facilities.
The Convention also established the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to oversee compliance, provide verification, and promote international cooperation among member states.
