Secretary-General’s message to the Nineteenth Session of the Conference of State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention [Delivered by Ms. Angela Kane]
I am pleased to send greetings to the Nineteenth Session of the Conference of State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. The events of the past year highlighted the immense value of the Chemical Weapons Convention as an effective, comprehensive and non-discriminatory instrument to verify the destruction of existing stockpiles of chemical weapons and to prevent their proliferation. The historic mission to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapon programme has been a key focus for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Some 98 per cent of Syria’s declared chemicals have been destroyed. The OPCW-UN Joint Mission has fulfilled its mandate and its operations ended on 30 September. Its work stands as an excellent example of how practical cooperation between international organizations can achieve tangible results that advance the disarmament agenda. The OPCW mission is finalizing arrangements for the destruction of remaining chemical weapon production facilities, and continues to clarify aspects of Syria’s declaration. (UN News)
[source: UNODA]