9. Chemical weapons and security threats

Chemical weapons are prohibited by the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force in 1997 and had 193 states parties as of December 2024. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) oversees the implementation of the CWC and is responsible for verifying chemical weapon dis-armament and helping to ensure that toxic chemicals are used only for purposes not prohibited by the CWC. Since the last of the chemical weapon stockpiles declared by CWC states parties were destroyed in 2023, under OPCW verification, the focus has shifted further to the prevention of the re-emergence of chemical weapons.

Allegations of and reactions to chemical weapon use

While the CWC is one of the most successful disarmament treaties, it has faced significant challenges and compliance concerns, and these continued to affect chemical disarmament in 2024. Syria, which acceded to the CWC in 2013 in the wake of a major chemical weapon attack in Ghouta and subsequently eliminated its declared chemical weapon programme, is suspected to have been in non-compliance with its obligations under the CWC since 2014. Independent OPCW investigations have proven that Syria has used chemical weapons on several occasions. As of December 2024, Syria had not restored its compliance with the CWC and it remained subject to the convention’s compliance measures. However, the unexpected fall of the government of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 may enable the complete elimination of Syria’s chemical weapon programme.

Chemical weapon control and disarmament

The conflicts in Syria and Ukraine have affected the functioning of the OPCW in several ways. First, its policymaking 
organs are highly polarized and have been unable to make consensus decisions on compliance-related topics or the organ-ization’s budget for several years. Second, the OPCW’s Technical Secretariat has been the subject of disinformation campaigns—related to the allegations of chemical weapon use by Russia and Syria—aimed at undermining its credibility and trust in its impartiality and technical expertise. At the same time, the OPCW continues to carry out many international activities geared towards, among other things, verifying the peaceful use of toxic chemicals in industry, enhancing chemical safety and security, keeping abreast of relevant scientific and technological developments, providing international cooperation and assistance to its member states in various areas, and contributing to the prevention of chemical terrorism.