The Kingdom of Spain has contributed €75,000 to the Trust Fund for the Implementation of Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The contribution will support the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)'s 2026 CHEMEX GRULAC exercise, a comprehensive chemical emergency response training tailored for the Latin America and Caribbean (GRULAC) region.
The voluntary contribution was formalised on 18 September 2025 in a signing ceremony held between the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the OPCW, H.E. Ms María Consuelo Femenía Guardiola, and the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias, at the OPCW's Headquarters in The Hague.
The exercise, targeted at first responders and national emergency teams, will combine training simulations, workshops, and scenario-based activities. It is designed to help participants apply critical response strategies in detection, protection, decontamination, and coordination in addressing a chemical incident. The programme also provides a crucial platform for sharing best practices and strengthening regional capacities.
The CHEMEX GRULAC exercise builds on the effectiveness of the CHEMEX Africa training, held in Algeria in 2023. This successful exercise provided a proven model for enhancing national protective programmes and emergency response capabilities across the African continent, paving the way for a similar approach in the Latin America and Caribbean region.
Ambassador Consuelo Femenía Guardiola stated: "With this voluntary contribution, Spain reaffirms its commitment to the mandate of the OPCW and to strengthening cooperation through the CHEMEX programme in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. After the success of CHEMEX Africa, we firmly believe that investing in training and capacity building will better prepare the GRULAC region to prevent and respond to chemical accidents or threats. Our country will continue to support the OPCW and foster its cooperation on global disarmament challenges, working hand in hand with all regions."
Director-General Arias welcomed the contribution and remarked: "This funding will directly enhance preparedness in the GRULAC region, ensuring they have the knowledge and capabilities needed to protect their populations from chemical threats. Spain's continued commitment to the OPCW's mission exemplifies the multilateral cooperation that remains essential to our shared goal of a world free of chemical weapons."
Background
Spain has been an active member of the OPCW since the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force in 1997. It is a member of the Executive Council, the OPCW's governing body, which promotes the effective implementation of and compliance with the Convention and supervises the activities of the Organisation's Technical Secretariat.
To date, Spain has contributed more than €1 million in voluntary funding to OPCW trust funds, including the Trust Fund for Training, the Trust Fund for Security and Business Continuity, and the Trust Fund for a Centre for Chemistry and Technology.
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.
