Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

  Today, flowers are generally given both as a sign of love and respect for the deceased, and as a form of sympathy for the loved ones left behind.

Today, we pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare over the decades. We also remember the global efforts to end the use of these abhorrent tactics. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Geneva Protocol. A century ago, after witnessing the terrible impact of chemical weapons during World War I, the international community came together to ban their use in war. The following decades saw remarkable success, including the entry into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention — which now has nearly universal adherence. Yet our work is not finished. The appalling use of chemical weapons has continued, and rapid developments in science and technology threaten to make their acquisition and use even easier. We cannot allow this to continue. In the name of all victims of chemical warfare, I urge States to reaffirm their commitment to a world free of these repugnant weapons.

  This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Geneva Protocol that prohibits the use of chemical weapons in international armed conflicts . A century ago, after witnessing the terrible impact of chemical weapons during World War I, the international community came together to ban their use in war. On the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare ( 30 November ) we pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare over the decades. We also remember the global efforts to end the use of these abhorrent tactics.

 A Test of – and Testament to – Multilateralism. From the mustard gas of World War I to precision Novichok attacks in Russia’s suppression of opposition, the creation of chemical weapons have long embodied humanity’s worst impulses. But they also represent something unexpectedly hopeful: one of the rare instances when the world has come together to say “never again” – and endeavored to bring that commitment to life. That global consensus took form in the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) , which entered into force 28 years ago this month. With 193 states parties , a Nobel Peace Prize and a verified destruction rate of 99% of declared chemical weapons stockpiles, the CWC stands as one of the most successful treaties in history. “This is a treaty that has stood the test of time,” says James Revill, PhD, Head of WMD and Space Security Programs at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). “It’s comprehensively prohibited a class of weapons that are widely viewed as abho...

The CWC emerged to close gaping holes left by the 1925 Geneva Protocol , which prohibited the use of chemical weapons but not their development or stockpiling. Those loopholes allowed chemical weapons to thrive in the shadows for decades.   OPCW inspector demonstrates how to gather information and take samples in the field at OPCW; credit OPCW During World War II, chemical agents were produced en masse, though rarely deployed on the battlefield, mostly due to fear of retaliation. Civilians, however, weren’t spared. Nazi Germany used Zyklon B in the Holocaust, demonstrating how chemical weapons could become tools of genocide. More recently, Saddam Hussein used sarin and mustard gas against Iranian troops and Kurdish civilians during the Iran-Iraq War, culminating in the 1988 Halabja massacre , which killed an estimated 5,000 people. “The world saw the horror and recognized that piecemeal bans weren’t enough,” Kimball says. “We needed a comprehensive, verifiable, enforceable treat...

While the CWC’s successes have been unmatched, “threats haven’t disappeared,” notes Revill. In the last decade, we’ve seen Syria’s use of chemical weapons , the poisoning of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny and the assassination of North Korean defector Kim Jong-nam. Experimentation and deployment of AI-designed toxins and dual-use chemicals are adding complexity to detection and enforcement. All of this is unfolding amid escalating geopolitical tensions, which further complicates efforts at prevention and accountability. Recent policy changes in Washington are straining U.S. ties to the very institutions and agreements that hold international security together – and they have arms controls experts on edge. “ Actions being taken right now, ” Kimball warns, “ will fundamentally reshape the U.S. role in every arms control regime that keeps the world from sliding into chaos. When the U.S. is engaged – when we fund, lead and show up – these agreements work. When we pull back, they unr...

Kimball also warns of broader implications for nuclear disarmament . “The hard-won progress against nuclear weapons use, nuclear testing and nuclear proliferation is under stress,” he says. He specifically calls out the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, which expires in February 2026. “ If there’s not agreement to replace it, ” Kimball says, “the U.S. and Russia could rapidly expand their deployed nuclear warheads, which are currently capped at about 1,550 each.” He also warns of “ the first three-way nuclear arms race in history,” citing China’s expanding arsenal. Meanwhile, Iran’s uranium enrichment and North Korea’s expanding program continue to pose global threats.