The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias, met in The Hague with the Director for Strategic Affairs, Security and Disarmament of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr Guillaume Ollagnier, on the margins of the Thirtieth Session of the Conference of the States Parties (CSP-30).
The two high-level officials exchanged views on the impact of the current international security environment on global disarmament and non-proliferation efforts, as well as on the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
Director-General Arias briefed Director Ollagnier on current development related to the activities of the OPCW, including the situation in the Syria Arab Republic, with a focus on the challenges associated with fully eliminating Syria's chemical weapons programme. He also stressed that preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons, enhancing chemical safety and security in Member States, and advancing universality of the Convention remain central to the Organisation's mandate.
Director-General Arias noted that rapid scientific and technological developments present both challenges and opportunities for the effective implementation of the Convention, and reaffirmed that the OPCW continues to closely monitor these trends. Artificial intelligence was highlighted as an area requiring careful assessment to ensure that Member States and the Technical Secretariat can respond effectively to its potential implications.
The Director-General emphasised the critical role of the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology in strengthening the Organisation's analytical, training, and verification capacities, enabling it to better address emerging threats and support all aspects of its work.
He expressed appreciation for France's long-standing support to the OPCW, including its financial contributions to international cooperation programmes, the construction of the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology, and the delivery of programmes at the Centre since it became operational.
Background
France has been an active member of the OPCW since the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force in 1997. France is a member of the OPCW Executive Council, the governing body of the Organisation.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention's entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
In 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 - have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW's strict verification regime.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.
