In commemoration of those killed and maimed by chemical weapons during the First World War, the City of Ieper held today a Day of Remembrance in and around Ieper, Belgium. Ninety years ago today, chemical weapons were first used on a mass scale on the battlefields of West Flanders, Belgium. A delegation from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) attended the commemoration, led by the Acting Director-General, Mr Brian Hawtin, and included representatives of those nations that participated in that conflict in Belgium.
The first attack, utilizing industrial chlorine gas, killed at least two thousand soldiers. During the course of the First World War, over 90,000 soldiers were killed by these agents, the first weapon of mass destruction ever used. Increasingly toxic agents were developed during the conflict, in parallel with efforts to provide effective means of protection. In total, over one million combatants would suffer injuries as a result of exposure to these weapons.
The international effort to forever ban these weapons, which began before the First World War, culminated in the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the establishment of the OPCW on 29 April 1997.
In his address to the Remembrance Day participants, the Acting Director-General thanked the City of Ieper and Mayor Dehaene for the City’s unstinting efforts to maintain the memory of the victims of chemical weapons. He noted that the States that were engaged in that first global conflict have joined the Chemical Weapons Convention, whose membership now totals 167 Member States. They are all committed to eliminating an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. Mr Hawtin said that the commemoration pays tribute to those who fell so many years ago, as well as to those who have dedicated their lives to eliminating these weapons in the interests of future generations.
Mr Hawtin concluded that by achieving the universal, full and effective application of the Chemical Weapons Convention, all Member States will have passed on a crucial legacy of enhanced peace and security for future generations, as well as honouring the memory of the victims to chemical weapons at Ieper.
12/2005