29 April marks the 25th anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) – on this occasion, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) called all CWC members and signatories – including EuChemS – to reaffirm their commitment to make the world free of chemical weaponry. Major international and European institutions acknowledged the anniversary and emphasised the importance of the convention, including, but not limited to the European Council, the EEEA, and the United Nations. EuChemS also expressed its support of CWC. The extensive list of those who reiterated their support can be found here.
Since its entry into force in 1997, the CWC made significant strides towards chemical weapon disarmament: 193 states are participants, making 98% of the world population safe from chemical weapons. Under the aegis of the convention, 99% of chemical weapons stockpiles and 74 out of 97 declared production facilities were destroyed. 23 other sites were converted for peaceful purposes. The OPCW carried out 4939 inspections, and possesses 24 environmental, and 20 medical sites.
More info and news can be found on the official OPCW webpage.
EuChemS expresses its strong support for the prohibition of chemical weapons and responsible science, and calls for the ethical mobilisation of all chemists to ensure that chemistry is only used for the betterment of humanity.