The OPCW Director-General Sabrina Dallafior paid an official visit to the United Kingdom from 19 to 20 October 2026. During the visit, she delivered a keynote address at the Chemical Weapons Demilitarisation (CWD) Conference, lectured at the Royal Society of Chemistry, and met senior UK government officials.
In her keynote address at the CWD Conference, Director-General Dallafior outlined the challenges arising from a more contested security environment, including incidents of chemical weapons use and the risks posed by non-State actors and emerging technologies. She emphasised the OPCW's efforts to strengthen its capacity to address these threats while ensuring that the verification regime of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) remained fit for purpose.
The Director-General also addressed recent developments in Syria, including the discovery and declaration of previously undeclared chemical weapons and related facilities, as well as the resumption of verified destruction activities for the first time since the change of government in Syria. She reflected on her recent visit to Syria and efforts underway to locate and secure remnants of the Assad-era chemical weapons programme.
Director-General Sabrina Dallafior delivers the keynote address at the Chemical Weapons Demilitarisation (CWD) Conference. (Photo: MOD)
In her lecture at the Royal Society of Chemistry, Director-General Dallafior emphasised the essential role of chemists and the wider scientific community in implementing the Convention. Preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons required close cooperation between the OPCW and its stakeholders, particularly the scientific community.
The Director-General outlined the importance of the OPCW's Scientific Advisory Board in enabling the Organisation to keep pace with scientific and technological developments, particularly in AI, biological toxins, and chemical forensics. She emphasised the importance of responsible research, to ensure that chemistry is used exclusively for peaceful purposes.
OPCW Director-General Sabrina Dallafior attends and speaks at the Royal Society of Chemistry. (Photo: MOD)
During her visit, the Director-General met with senior UK officials, including FCDO Minister Lord Wood, Minister for Armed Forces, Louise Sandher-Jones MP and Minister of State Michael Shanks MP. Discussions focused on OPCW-UK cooperation and covered a range of issues, including Syria, Ukraine, AI, industry verification, and capacity-building. Concerns were raised over the findings of the OPCW Technical Assistance Visits to Ukraine, which confirmed the presence of the riot control agent CS along the frontlines. The Director-General reaffirmed that the Technical Secretariat would continue its work related to Ukraine in accordance with its mandate.
Director-General Dallafior expressed appreciation for the UK's longstanding support for the OPCW. She commended the UK's contributions to the Organisation's capacity-building initiatives, including the Associate Programme, which has helped Member States strengthen their national implementation of the Convention.
Background
The United Kingdom has been an active member of the OPCW since 1997. The UK is a member of the Executive Council, the OPCW's executive organ.
The CWD Conference is an annual international forum hosted by the UK's Ministry of Defence and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). For more than two decades, it has brought together chemical disarmament experts and policy-makers from around the world to share experiences and insights on chemical weapons issues.
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is the UK's professional body for chemical scientists. It supports the advancement of the chemical sciences through education, research, knowledge-sharing, and the promotion of professional and ethical standards.
