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The OPCW trains people worldwide who can act as first responders in the event of possible chemical attacks. © OPCW
From May 2024 to May 2026, Belgium is a member of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a crucial organisation that works to eliminate chemical weapons. Today, 98% of the world's population is already protected.
Weapons that use chemicals to kill or maim the enemy are unimaginably horrific. France and Germany came to an agreement as early as 1675, prohibiting the use of poison bullets, and this was followed by further attempts to ban poison-based weapons.
Ypres, 1915
This did not prevent the German army from launching a large-scale attack with 150 tonnes of chlorine gas near Ypres during the First World War on 22 April 1915. A thick yellow-green cloud slowly drifted across the front, smothering everything and everyone in its path.
A total of 124,200 tonnes of chlorine, mustard and other chemicals were released during the First World War. Over 90,000 soldiers died a painful death and nearly a million left the battlefield blind, maimed or badly wounded.
Although many were appalled by the horror of chemical warfare, no conclusive regulations were yet forthcoming. The Geneva Protocol in 1925 banned only the use of chemical and bacteriological weapons during war, not their development, production and storage. Consequently, during the Cold War, the USA and the Soviet Union retained a stockpile of tens of thousands of tonnes of chemical weapons.
Australian soldiers wearing gas masks in trenches near Ypres (September 1917). © Wikimedia Commons
OPCW 1997
Success was finally achieved after many years of negotiations. In 1992, the UN Conference on Disarmament adopted a draft convention to ban chemical weapons. This eventually led to the creation in 1997 of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), based in The Hague.
From this point onwards, the world had an organisation with a comprehensive mandate to eliminate chemical weapons, which includes a ban on use and development, production, storage and transport. Existing stocks must be destroyed.
And it appears to be working: last year in 2023, the OPCW announced that all declared chemical weapons had been completely destroyed in all Member States! With 193 Member States, this means virtually the entire world. Only four countries are not yet members, namely Israel, Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan.
What does the OPCW do?
Inspection of declared chemicals
If a country becomes a member of the OPCW, it must prepare a list of places where banned or restricted chemicals are stored within 30 days. What is unusual about the OPCW is that it is also empowered to verify on the ground that this is true: about 200 monitoring visits take place annually at industrial sites.
These include (1) chemicals with exclusively military applications that are completely banned, in addition to (2) substances that can also be used in industry, albeit in limited quantity, and (3) substances that are widely used in industry, but where there is a risk that they could be diverted to military applications. All three categories should be verified.
Inspection of destruction of old and abandoned chemical weapons
Some countries still have old chemical weapons (OCW) dating back to before 1925 that must be destroyed. But it is also possible that a country has abandoned chemical weapons (ACW) in another country. Japan, for example, left many such weapons in China en masse after the Second World War. As a member of the OPCW, that country now has the responsibility to clean up all those weapons, and there are still more than 300,000 of them, both on land and at sea.
International cooperation and assistance
Some countries do not yet have national legislation that effectively puts the Convention into effect. The OPCW assists them in doing this as quickly as possible. The organisation also provides training, for example, to train suitable personnel, who can then act as first responders in the event of possible chemical attacks. The trained experts can also apply for positions with the OPCW; regions such as Africa, Latin America and Asia are still under-represented in the organisation and the OPCW also makes efforts to attract more women.
Fact-Finding Missions
A Member State may request a Fact-Finding Mission. Germany, for example, did this when Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the banned nerve agent Novichok. The OPCW experts take three samples, of which they keep one and send two to two separate approved laboratories that operate independently of each other. There are several laboratories accredited by the OPCW. In Belgium, there is one in Peutie, the "Defence Laboratories" (DLD).
In addition, the OPCW promotes peaceful uses of chemistry and supports victims and survivors of chemical weapons attacks.
Belgium as a member of the Executive Council
From May 2024 to May 2026, Belgium – through the FPS Foreign Affairs – is a member of the Executive Council, one of the three main bodies of the OPCW. The 41 members reflect geographic regions; all countries are represented by rotation. Although there are also some members who hold seats more regularly, such as Japan, China, India, the USA and the UK, because of their large-scale chemical industries.
As a member, our country wants above all to contribute to the optimal functioning of the organisation, such as by preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons, fighting against chemical terrorism, making sure Member States comply with the Convention and that the OPCW has sufficient budget and personnel.
Belgium organises visit to the Westhoek
During its term of EU presidency, Belgium organised a highly appreciated visit to the Westhoek. Representatives from 40 Member States – including New Zealand, Germany, Kuwait, Malaysia, Palestine – visited the In Flanders Fields Museum and the region around Ypres dotted with cemeteries and monuments. They also attended the Last Post – the daily tribute to the fallen at the Menin Gate in Ypres. It became a visit that left an impression. An event is also planned next year to mark the 110th anniversary of the Ypres gas attack.
In any case, the large-scale gas attack at Ypres in 1915 was a crucial event for the OPCW: it is the reason why it named the main meeting hall in The Hague the Ieper Room.
Artificial intelligence
During Belgium's membership, it is also important to continue to tackle new technical and geopolitical challenges. For example, attention will be paid to nanotechnology and biomediated processes (organic chemicals obtained through biochemical or biological processes).
But the biggest headache is the application of artificial intelligence (AI). While AI may be able to facilitate the identification of chemical weapons, the main fear is still that terrorists could use the technology to create new chemical weapons.
To keep pace with new technological and chemical developments, the OPCW opened a brand new ChemTech Centre near The Hague in 2023. In addition to lab research, the centre will also focus heavily on training. Belgium donated 2 million euros for its construction.
The Chemical Weapons Convention displayed in the OPCW plenary session room. © OPCW
Geopolitical tensions
It is not surprising that the current geopolitical tensions in the world also affect the (plenary) meetings within the OPCW. But then these are mostly thorny political issues such as Russia’s and Ukraine's mutual accusations about the use of chemical weapons, or Palestine's complaint that Israel uses white phosphorus (which is actually an incendiary weapon rather than a chemical weapon).
On technical matters, all Member States continue to work in unison: the fight against chemical terrorism, emerging technologies such as AI, international technical cooperation, the 200 monitoring visits per year (see box) and so forth.
98% of the world's population is already protected
The OPCW is therefore quite well equipped for its mandate and does a very effective job. In fact, the organisation received the Nobel Peace Prize for its work in 2013. The goal remains to eliminate chemical weapons from the entire world. Today, 98% of the world's population is already protected. The four countries still missing should also eventually become members.
The disadvantage, however, is that the OPCW is dependent on what the Member States themselves declare. In the event of any doubt, it does not have a police force to enforce cases. However, it is authorised to conduct inspection and, where necessary, identify the perpetrators of an incident, as was the case in Syria.
The OPCW is a guarantee that the standard against the use of chemical weapons remains strong, even if that taboo is not absolute, as demonstrated on the battlefield in Syria or in assassination attempts by Russia.
Regardless, Belgium remains a strong supporter of the OPCW and its mandate. The organisation must be able to take action against countries that have engaged in the use of chemical weapons. Our country also defends the OPCW against political interference and unsubstantiated attacks on its impartiality and professionalism. The effectiveness of the OPCW also depends on keeping up with rapid technological evolutions such as AI and maintaining expertise. As a member of the Executive Council, Belgium will actively participate in this.
© OPCW
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