International Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare 2015 - April 29

International Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare, April 29.

Día de Conmemoración de todas las víctimas de la guerra química, 29 de abril.

День памяти всех жертв применения химического оружия, 29 апреля.

Journée du souvenir dédiée à toutes les victimes de la guerre chimique, 29 avril.

 化学战受害者纪念日, 4月29日.

اليوم العالمي لإحياء ذكرى جميع ضحايا الحرب الكيماوية - 29 أبريل
 

On behalf of the technical secretariat of the OPCW.

United Nations Secretary-General's Message for the International Day of Remembrance for all victims of Chemical Warfare 2015.

This year’s Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare is more significant than ever as it marks the 100th anniversary of the first time chemical weapons were deployed on a large scale in battle.
The events in Ypres in 1915 should be a distant memory – but the frightening truth is we are still grappling with the inhumane and indiscriminate effects of chemical weapons today. One hundred years after chlorine gas was used a weapon of war in Ypres, such horrific weapons continue to threaten humankind.
It is an outrage that 90 years after the 1925 Geneva Protocol and nearly 20 years after the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention the list of those we mourn on this Day only grows longer. The world has learned too little from the past – at the expense of innocent people whose lives have been destroyed by chemical attacks.
Just two years ago, reports of the use of chemical weapons in Syria served as a shocking wake-up call to the international community about the continuing threat posed by these inhumane weapons. The horrific images of the victims of chemical weapons in Syria should continue to haunt us all.
The multinational effort to rid Syria of its chemical weapons programme clearly demonstrated what can be achieved when the international community unites. Nearly all of Syria’s chemical weapon materials have now been removed or destroyed, and the destruction of the remaining chemical weapons production facilities in the country has commenced. This has been one bright moment in an otherwise devastating conflict which must urgently end for the sake of the country’s people, the region and our world.
The most recent reports of the continued alleged use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in the Syrian conflict are deeply disturbing. I strongly condemn any such use by any party to the conflict, call for the perpetrators of such acts to be brought to justice, and reiterate that any use of chemical weapons under any circumstances would be a grave violation of the 1925 Protocol and other relevant rules of customary international law.
On this tragic centenary, I stress again the importance of the Chemical Weapons Convention and strongly urge those few countries that still remain outside this framework to adhere to it without further delay. We will need to maintain our common vigilance until universal membership is attained.
There is no more meaningful way to collectively honour the victims of chemical warfare and make sure that humankind is forever liberated from the ominous threat of the use of chemical weapons. On this Day of Remembrance, let us do more than recall the past; let us shape a new future by renewing our common pledge to rid the world of chemical weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.

Ban Ki-moon

Forum : Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare - 29 April

Events : Ieper: A Centenary Commemoration

On 21 April 2015, the OPCW will mark the centenary of the first large-scale use of chemical weapons with a commemorative meeting of its Member States in Ieper, Belgium. This event will serve to honour the memory of all victims of chemical warfare over the past century, as well as to re-dedicate collective efforts to rid the world of chemical weapons. To this end, a Declaration will be issued by the States Parties.

 The event will be live webcast from approximately 11 a.m to 12.30 a.m (CET) and will be available on our homepage as well as on the commemorative website ieper100.org.

Statements

• Message on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General at Ieper Commemorative Gathering
• Statement by the African Group at Ieper Commemorative Gathering            
• Statement by the Asian Group at Ieper Commemorative Gathering     
• OPCW Director-General Statement at Ieper Commemorative Gathering            
• Statement by the Eastern European Group at Ieper Commemorative Gathering           
• Statement by the Latin American and Caribbean States Group at Ieper Commemorative Gathering     
• Statement by the Western European and Other States Group at Ieper Commemorative Gatherin        
• Statement by the Mayor of Ieper at Ieper Commemorative Gathering 
• Statement by the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Belgium at Ieper Commemorative Gathering

  Resources : 

• Destruction of Chemical Weapons : OPCW Member States Obligations 
•  Destruction Timelines - Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
• Chemical Weapons Destruction Technologies - OPCW
• When Chemicals Became Weapons of War- C&EN
• Declaration on the Occasion of the Centennial Commemoration of the First Large-Scale Use of Chemical Weapons at Ieper

“It’s impressivehow quickly the Allies figured out what the new poisons were, typically in a matter of weeks, sometimes even days,”Gal says. After all, he says, this was 1915, well before the introduction of top-notch analytical equipment.

Tear Gases, Chlorine, Phosgene, Diphosgene, Mustard Gas : Chemical Warfare during the World War I