The Conference of the State Parties to the chemical weapon convention decided that a Memorial Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare to be observed on 30th November every year, or the first day of the regular session of the committee.
This Remembrance Day provides a chance to pay tribute to chemical warfare victims, along with advertising to achieve peace, security, and multilateralism goals.
This commemoration reaffirms the commitment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons.
Antonio Guterres in a statement said that this Remembrance Day is a solemn occasion to pay tribute to those killed or injured by these horrific weapons.
He added that this year will be marking the 10 years since the attack of deadly chemical weapons in the Ghouta district of Damascus which witnessed numerous civilian casualties, including many children.
He remarked that the day of remembrance must also be a day to resolve to end the use of these repugnant weapons, once and for all.
Ending this scourge means living up to the call of the Chemical Weapons Convention to prevent the use of any chemical weapons, and ending impunity for those who use them, especially against civilians.
The statement concluded with these words, “In the name and memory of all who suffered, let’s consign chemical weapons to history.”
In the past, chemical weapons were used on a large-scale, specifically during the first world war, causing over 100,000 deaths and about a million casualties.
Following the Second World War, many countries came to realize that the marginal value of having chemical weapons in their arsenals was limited, while the threat posed by the availability and proliferation of such weapons made a comprehensive ban desirable.
On April 29th, the Chemical Weapons Convention was enforced. It said, “for the sake of all mankind, to exclude completely the possibility of the use of chemical weapons.”
){kind=link}