Distinguished participants,
Dear Colleagues,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), on behalf of the Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias.
The Centre for Technology and Chemistry (CCT), where we are now, is a fitting location for this Technical Workshop on Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles and opportunities and threats to the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Convention will always be tested by scientific and technological advancements.
I will start by giving you some current examples.
A commercial agricultural sprayer.
A navigation algorithm originally designed for logistics.
A sensor suite developed for environmental monitoring.
Separately, these are unremarkable.
Together, configured for harmful purposes, they present a growing challenge to the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Today, the same platform that a farmer uses to treat crops can, with minimal modification, become a dispersal mechanism for a toxic chemical.
The barrier to entry is low, and detection of such illicit activity is difficult.
National and international regulatory frameworks have not kept pace with the rapid development of these threats.
Over the course of this Workshop, we will turn our attention to the challenges and opportunities that this technology presents for the work of the OPCW.
The diversity of expertise gathered in this room — spanning science and technology, counter-terrorism, international law, arms control, law enforcement, and industry — is exactly what is required for a challenge of this complexity.
I am grateful to each of you for bringing your expertise to this discussion.
Distinguished Participants,
Since its entry into force in 1997, the Convention has established a global norm against the use of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.
With 193 States Parties, it is one of the most successful multilateral disarmament instruments.
Through the Convention’s robust verification regime and national implementation measures, the complete verified destruction of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles was accomplished in July 2023.
This was a remarkable collective achievement.
However, disarmament alone does not eliminate the risk of use of chemical weapons.
The Convention seeks not only to disarm, but also to prevent the re-emergence of these weapons.
This brings us back to the focus of this Workshop.
Rapid advances in science and technology are reshaping the global security landscape.
Among these, the development of uncrewed aerial vehicles — or UAVs, commonly referred to as drones —and their convergence with artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, and additive manufacturing, stands out as particularly transformative.
UAVs are not inherently problematic.
On the contrary, they offer significant benefits across civilian, industrial, and humanitarian domains.
However, they also exemplify the challenge of dual-use technologies that could threaten the object and purpose of the Convention.
In addition, advances in artificial intelligence further amplify these risks, enabling autonomous navigation, target recognition, and coordinated operations.
The prospect of such systems being exploited as delivery mechanisms for chemical agents, including by non-State actors, represents a credible concern.
This has been actively discussed within the Open-Ended Working Group on Terrorism here at the OPCW.
The Working Group heard from experts about the misuse of increasingly affordable and accessible commercial drones by non‑State actors for chemical terrorism.
A major concern is the use of UAVs to target critical infrastructure or chemical facilities, where physical damage alone could trigger a large‑scale release of hazardous substances.
These risks are heightened by emerging trends such as greater autonomy, AI‑enabled precision, and potential drone swarming, which collectively lower operational barriers and increase potential impact.
The threats and opportunities presented by UAV technologies have also been addressed by the OPCW Scientific Advisory Board.
The Board has recommended that the Technical Secretariat monitor developments in areas such as AI-enabled drone systems, additive manufacturing of delivery mechanisms, and the growing accessibility of dual-use spraying technologies.
At the same time, the Board has highlighted the benefits of integrating UAVs into OPCW operations.
They could be used, for example, for the digital documentation of investigation scenes, chemical detection and mapping, real-time situational awareness, and sample collection in dangerous locations.
This duality of opportunity and threat lies at the heart of the purpose of our Workshop:
On the one hand, how can UAV technologies be used to enhance the implementation of the Convention?
On the other hand, what threats do they pose, particularly in the hands of non-State actors, and how are current governance and policy frameworks responding to them?
This Workshop has been deliberately designed as a closed, expert-level forum.
The format is intended to encourage open, technically grounded discussion.
I encourage you to engage actively, to challenge assumptions, and to explore both possibilities and limitations.
Over the next two days, you will take part in presentations, panel exchanges, and scenario-based discussions addressing the evolving threat landscape and the dual-use nature of UAV technologies.
The insights generated here will be critical for this Organisation. They will inform and shape future activities on this topic.
Distinguished participants,
For nearly three decades, we have witnessed remarkable adaptability in the implementation of the Convention.
Its strength lies not only in the legal provisions, but also in the commitment of its stakeholders to remain vigilant and forward-looking.
As we consider the implications of UAVs and related technologies, we are continuing that approach—ensuring that the Convention remains effective in a rapidly evolving technological environment.
Our shared responsibility is clear: to ensure that the ingenuity that drives technological change works in the service of international peace and security, and not against it.
I wish you fruitful and inspiring deliberations over the next two days, and I look forward to hearing about the outcomes of your discussions.
Thank you for your kind attention.