Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

   29 October 2025 -  Opening Statement at the Twenty Seventh Annual Meeting of the Confidentiality Commission , OPCW Deputy Director-General. A stringent regime governs the handling of confidential information at the OPCW. The OPCW Policy on Confidentiality is essential to the work of the Organisation because of the intrusive verification measures that are aimed at promoting confidence in compliance with the Convention while respecting States Parties’ legitimate concerns about sensitive information. The Policy addresses the need for disclosure of appropriate information to the OPCW to demonstrate compliance with the Convention while ensuring confidential information provided by States Parties is appropriately protected. In case of breaches or alleged breaches of confidentiality, procedures are in place to determine its cause and impacts. The Confidentiality Annex to the Convention establishes, as a subsidiary organ of the Conference, a Commission for the settlement...

   14 October 2025   Welcoming remarks at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Representatives of Internal Audit Services (RIAS) & 17th Annual Meeting of the UN-RIAS Deputy Director-General  UN-RIAS is an affiliation of Chief Audit Executives of United Nations System organisations. It is a framework and a forum to promote the development and exchange of UN internal audit and oversight related practices and experience. UN-RIAS is a part of RIAS, the Representatives of Internal Audit Services of United Nations organisations and multilateral financial institutions and other associated intergovernmental organisations. The HLCM and UN-RIAS work together in a partnership arrangement to promote the exchange of experience and knowledge on areas of common interest and the coherent, efficient and cost-effective oversight and management of the organisations of the UN System. The partnership arrangement recognises UN-RIAS as the audit and oversight forum that brings together...

  13 October 2025 -  Speech at the Sixteenth Asser Institute Training Programme on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction ; OPCW Deputy Director-General. This programme is specifically tailored for diplomats, providing a unique opportunity for embassy staff in The Hague to deepen their understanding of contemporary disarmament and non-proliferation issues while expanding their professional networks. The Global threat posed by nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons has become increasingly pressing. International treaties, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) , are vital components in the global effort to mitigate these dangers. A key partner in this training programme is the OPCW, the body responsible for implementing the CWC. Through the OPCW’s efforts and the commitment of its 193 State Parties, nearly 98% of the world’s population is now protected by the CWC, and 99% ...