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Chemical weapons are cruel and extremely dangerous weapons. They inflict excruciating and long-term suffering on a mass scale. Some Member States have the capacity to protect their populations against chemical weapons, while others do not. All Member States have pledged to provide assistance and protection to fellow Member States, which are threatened with the use of chemical weapons or have indeed suffered a chemical attack.
Resources from a Voluntary Fund for Assistance, as well as individual offers of equipment and trained personnel, are available. A network of protection experts consults regularly on the means to improve the ability of Member States to respond to the use of chemical weapons and to protect civilian populations. If a Member State requests assistance, the Technical Secretariat is responsible for the effective coordination of the assistance and protection measures provided by Member States.
These capabilities can include expertise in predicting hazards, in detecting and decontaminating chemical agents, in medical relief, and in on-site coordination with humanitarian and disaster response agencies. The OPCW also relies on cooperation with other international organisations to assist it with dispatching and delivering assistance, with managing on-site activities, and with training.