Press releases

  • OPCW Executive Council adopts historic decision on destruction of Syria chemical weapons
    20 Mar 2014 - 27 September 2013 - The OPCW Executive Council today adopted a historic decision [PDF - 28 KB] on the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons.
  • Removal of priority chemicals in Syria marks “important new phase” in work of Joint Mission
    20 Mar 2014 - 8 January 2014 - The Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü informed the OPCW Executive Council today about the commencement of the removal of priority chemicals from Syria for destruction outside the country and described it as “an important new phase” in the work of the OPCW-UN Joint Mission.
  • OPCW-UN Mission confirms removal of sulphur mustard stockpile from Syria
    20 Mar 2014 - 26 February 2014 - Statement of the Special Coordinator of the Joint Mission Ms. Sigrid Kaag Today, a shipment of the Syrian Arab Republic’s stockpile of sulphur mustard, commonly known as “mustard gas” has left its territory. I welcome this shipment as an important step in the elimination of the Syrian Arab Republic’s chemical weapons programme, said Special Coordinator Sigrid Kaag.
  • Special Coordinator of the OPCW- UN Joint Mission holds consultations in Doha
    20 Mar 2014 - 27 January 2014 - Special Coordinator for the OPCW-UN Joint Mission, Sigrid Kaag visited Doha on 27 January 2014. She met with the Qatari Minister for Foreign Affairs H.E. Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Attiyah. Special Coordinator Kaag also held a number of consultations to discuss the work of the OPCW-UN Joint Mission in the elimination of the chemical weapons programme of the Syrian Arab Republic.
  • OPCW Executive Council receives destruction plan for Syrian chemical weapons
    20 Mar 2014 - 18 December 2013 - As requested by the OPCW Executive Council, Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü yesterday submitted to the Council a plan for destroying the Syrian Arab Republic’s chemical weapons outside of the country. The plan aims to meet a deadline set by the Council to destroy Syria’s priority chemicals by 31 March 2014 and other mostly commodity chemicals by 30 June 2014.
  • Executive Council notes “increasing pace” in moving chemicals out of Syria
    20 Mar 2014 - 7 March 2014 - OPCW-UN Joint Mission verifies nearly 29% of total chemical stockpile has been removed The Executive Council concluded its 75th Session today with a consensus report that "positively noted" the progress that has been made with respect to eliminating the Syrian chemical weapons programme, and also noted delays that have occurred about which concerns were expressed.
  • Joint Mission facilitates dialogue to discuss environmental issues
    20 Mar 2014 - 27 January 2014 - The OPCW-UN Joint Mission and the OPCW Technical Secretariat (TS) facilitated a dialogue on 16 January 2014 to discuss environmental issues related to the process of transportation of chemical materials from Syria for disposal outside its territory.
  • OPCW Director-General visits Sweden, meets Prime Minister
    20 Mar 2014 - 14 December 2013 - During a two-day visit to Sweden that concluded today, Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü had separate meetings with the Prime Minister, Mr. Fredrik Reinfeldt, and with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Bildt.
  • OPCW-UN team arrives in Damascus and sets up operational base
    20 Mar 2014 - 1 October 2013 - Press release [bulletin] from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations. An OPCW-UN advance team has arrived in Damascus just four days after the OPCW Executive Council and the UN Security Council unanimously endorsed a plan to send them to Syria to begin the process of overseeing the destruction of the country's chemical weapons programme.
  • Further removal of chemical weapons materials from the Syrian Arab Republic
    20 Mar 2014 - 27 January 2014 - A further shipment of chemical weapons materials took place from the Syrian Arab Republic. The chemical materials were verified by Joint Mission personnel before being loaded in Lattakia port onto Danish and Norwegian cargo vessels for onward transportation. The vessels were accompanied by a naval escort provided by the People’s Republic of China, Denmark, Norway and the Russian Federation.

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