Chemical weapons are among the most abhorrent weapons developed by humankind. Germany is therefore working for a world free of chemical weapons, as well as for universal implementation of the CWC. 12 August 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of Germany’s accession to the Convention. The CWC bans an entire category of weapons of mass destruction – completely and without any exception. It calls for the destruction of all chemical weapons under international supervision.

Since 2023, all officially declared stockpiles of chemical weapons have been destroyed, in a process that was overseen by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague. However, the goal of a world permanently free of chemical weapons has not yet been achieved. This is evident not least in the horrific employment of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war and Russia’s use, in contravention of the CWC, of chemical substances in its war of aggression against Ukraine. The same applies to Russia’s targeting of opposition figures with nerve agents, such as in the case of Alexey Navalny.

The German Government is therefore, in line with its National Security Strategy, redoubling its efforts to fight chemical weapons and address the risks posed by them. As part of this, Germany contributes to the investigation of Syria’s chemical weapons programme and is helping Ukraine protect itself against chemical threats. Germany is also engaged in analysing and addressing the risks that Artificial Intelligence applications and new technologies pose to the ban on chemical weapons. The German Government calls on all countries that are not yet States Parties to the Convention to immediately either ratify or, if they have not yet done so, to sign it.

Germany will not let up in its efforts to help bring about a world that is free of chemical weapons.