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Australia reaffirmed a strong support for the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (2015–2017) regarding the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons stockpiles, which it has confirmed were used “several times” in Syria.
According to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the country also supports the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team (IIT), which works to identify and report all available information about the origins of chemical weapons.
The Joint Investigative Mechanism submitted its third report to the UN Security Council on August 30, 2016, detailing findings and conclusions on responsibility for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The report concluded that in the incidents in Talmenes (April 21, 2014) and Sarmin (March 16, 2015), there was sufficient information to attribute responsibility to the Syrian regime’s armed forces for toxic substance attacks. It also attributed responsibility to ISIS in the Marea attack (August 21, 2015), which involved the use of mustard gas.
In this report, the Investigative Mechanism noted that it was continuing its investigations with forensic analyses from institutes and laboratories on three other cases: Kafr Zita (April 18, 2014), Qmenas (March 16, 2015), and Binnish (March 24, 2015). The report also confirmed insufficient evidence to identify those responsible in three additional cases: Kafr Zita (April 11, 2014), Al-Tamanah (April 29–30, 2014), and Al-Tamanah (May 25–26, 2014).
Australia regards the proliferation of chemical weapons as a serious threat to global and regional peace and security. It calls for anyone who uses or facilitates the use of chemical weapons to be brought to justice.
Since 2018, Australia has been a founding member of the International Partnership Against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons, which aims to collect and preserve evidence to hold accountable those responsible for the use or spread of chemical weapons.
Australia signed the Chemical Weapons Convention on January 13, 1993, ratified it in 1994, and became an active member of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) after the convention entered into force in 1997. Australia continues to promote the implementation of the Convention, particularly within the Pacific region.
chemical_weapons IIT opcw syria
