Image source: opcw.org
France has contributed around 800,000 euros to the trust fund of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for its fact-finding missions in Syria.
France supported the OPCW with a total of 902,500 euros, intended to bolster efforts in fact-finding in Syria, enhance global chemical safety, and encourage civil society’s involvement in disarmament efforts.
Out of this, 800,000 euros are designated for use in the OPCW’s work in Syria, including the Declaration Assessment Team (DAT), the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM), and the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT).
Additionally, 70,000 euros will support the Chemtech Africa 2025 initiative, aimed at enhancing chemical incident response capacities within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Another 30,000 euros will fund advanced integrated training for French-speaking African member states, while 2,500 euros will be used to support dialogue and engagement with civil society organizations, raising awareness and supporting the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention at national and regional levels.
The signing ceremony took place on July 1, 2024, between the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the French Republic to the OPCW, H.E. Mr. François Alabrune, and OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias, at the OPCW Headquarters in The Hague.
Ambassador Alabrune expressed his country’s concern about the proliferation and use of chemical weapons, emphasizing that France values the “important and impartial” work of the OPCW, especially its investigative team on the Syrian file, aiming for the complete eradication of Syria’s chemical weapons program and investigating their use.
Director-General Arias stated that France’s contributions to supporting OPCW activities in Syria demonstrate its firm commitment to international norms against the taboos on chemical weapons. He noted that France is working to enhance regional preparedness against chemical threats and bolster the OPCW’s collective goal of a world free of chemical weapons through support for training, capacity-building programs, and civil society engagement.
The Chemical Weapons Convention has been in force since 1997, and France is a member of the OPCW Executive Council, the governing body of the organization.
France has made voluntary contributions exceeding 10.8 million euros to nine OPCW trust funds, including the special missions trust fund for Syria.
On April 24, 2024, the OPCW raised doubts about the Syrian regime’s declaration of the elimination of its chemical weapons program. The organization expressed concerns over the ongoing development of chemical weapons in Syria, despite announcing in 2023 that all declared chemical weapons stockpiles by member states had been irreversibly destroyed under its stringent verification system.
The Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria (CVDCS) emphasizes the necessity for the effective implementation and full compliance with the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which calls for the elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction by prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, retention, storage, transfer, or use of chemical weapons by state parties.
The CVDCS also stresses the importance of holding all parties involved in the hostile use of chemical weapons accountable and achieving justice for the victims and their families.
chemical_attack chemical_weapons FFM IIT opcw syria
