Director-General Delivers Address at Oxford University

18 November 2014

The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, addressed faculty and students of the Said Business School at Oxford University on 17 November 2014 on the theme of “Chemical Disarmament: The Nobel, Syria and Future Challenges.”

In his address, the Director-General noted that, more than two decades since it was concluded, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) “remains the most comprehensive treaty in the history of multilateral arms control“.

He outlined the CWC’s unique combination of strengths, including the broad extent of its prohibitions, equal application of the Convention’s rights and obligations to all States Parties, and its international verification regime.

“These unique provisions amount to more than fine words – they provide vehicles for turning them into deeds,’ he said. “As a result, there can be no question of chemical weapons having any strategic warfare future as long as the Convention remains in place as the well-established norm that it is today.”

The Director-General noted that, since the sarin gas attacks near Damascus in August 2013 and Syria’s subsequent accession to the CWC, all of Syria’s declared chemical weapons have been removed from the country, and 98% have been eliminated.  The Syria mission attested to the resilience of the CWC and of States Parties’ ability to innovate, including by devising destruction options through a sea-based platform and engagement of the private sector.

The Director-General said that the award to the OPCW of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 and the achievements of the Syria mission have dramatically heightened the profile of chemical disarmament.

“In this light, our reinvigorated public diplomacy efforts, which have included the development of new materials and e-learning tools, have helped more people better understand what contribution disarmament can make to global peace,” he said. “Our intention is simple: to empower more people to participate in making this contribution as productive and comprehensive as possible.”