The 29th Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) was held in The Hague, The Netherlands from 25 to 29 November 2024. Diplomatic delegations and high-ranking officials from 193 member states of the organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) were present at the conference. Representatives of the Tehran Peace Museum and the Chemical Weapons Victims Association, while attending the conference, held a side event, read a statement, and met with diplomatic delegations and members of other NGOs from different countries around the world during the conference. The Tehran Peace Museum, as a members of the CWC NGO Coalition, has had close ties with the OPCW in recent years, and has been actively involved in supporting victims of chemical weapons and raising awareness about the effects and consequences of these weapons on human health and the environment.

The 2^nd training session on “ introduction to Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons – OPCW – “ was held on Monday 10 June 2024 at the Tehran Peace Museum.

The event was attended by over 30 participants mostly postgraduate students of law, international relations as well as chemistry and biology.

A number of former OPCW staff members from inspectorate, International Cooperation and Assistance Division as well as two former OPCW Interns were among the speakers of this training session.

Ms Elisabeth Waechter, Head of Public Relations and Spokesperson of the OPCW was one of the speakers of the event who joind the training session via a live video call.

In her remarks, Mr Waechter provided brief information regarding the current and future activities of the OPCW and the role of civil society in promoting the goals of the OPCW and the Chemical Weapons Convention then she answered a number of questions from the audience.

Participants were also given chance to learn on how to use personal protective equipment in chemical incidents in a practical training.

The Tehran Peace Museum organizes such training sessions in regular basis to raise awareness among university students and young generation on the role of international organizations in promoting global peace/disarmament.

Chemical Warfare victim Mr. Ahmed Gholamifard, died of respiratory failure on January 1^st, 2024.

He sustained severe lung and eye injuries due to mustard gas exposure in January 1987 During the Iran-Iraq war, and suffered from chronic complications of chemical injuries for more than three decades, including tracheal stenosis and corneal damag.

Mr. Gholamifard, who was a resident of Mashhad, was an active volunteer member of the Association for the Support of Chemical Weapons Victims and the Tehran Peace Museum. He participated in various social programs including international events: he spoke as a representative of chemical weapons victims at the annual onference of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague in 2018. He was also one of the 4 chemical warfare survivors who appeared in the court of the Netherlands in The Hague in June 2023 during the trial of two Dutch companies that sold chemicals to the Saddam regime and testified as a mustard gas victim.

Due to the severe narrowing of his airways (trachea), Ahmad had undergone many surgeries, including airway stenting and several corneal transplants, but he was still full of hope and was active in various cultural, social and educational programs. ..Tehran Peace Museum expresses its condolences to the respected family of Mr. Gholamifard and the community of chemical warfare survivors ..... May his soul rest in peace.....

November 30th is the International Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Weapons

This day, which was unanimously named by the member states of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and is included in the calendar of the United Nations' global events, is an opportunity to recall the danger of chemical weapons and the need to completely destroy the arsenals of these weapons, as well as a call to 4 non-member states to join immediately without condition to the convention on the prohibiting of the production, development, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons.

Also, this day is an opportunity to commemorate those who lost their lives as a result of such prohibited weapons, as well as those who suffered long-term illnesses and complications due to exposure to chemical weapons, including the victims of chemical weapons in Iran.

It should be remembered that despite the global ban on the use of chemical weapons, which were first used in the First World War, in the war imposed by Iraq against Iran (1980-1988), Saddam's regime used more than 3 thousand tons of deadly and highly toxic chemical weapons against the combatants and the defenseless people of the border areas of Iran, as a result of these attacks, nearly one million people were exposed to chemical agents, and more than one hundred thousand people were treated for serious chemical injuries, and thousands of people lost their lives.

Today, more than three decades have passed since the end of the war, nearly 65,000 chemical warfare survivors in Iran are still suffering from chronic diseases caused by chemical weapons, and many of them need continuous medical treatment.

Mass killing of civilians and targeting medical facilities and hospitals in Gaza which is an inhumane and criminal act as well as clear violation of international humanitarian law ( IHL)  must be stopped immediately.

The Tehran Peace Museum as one of the IHL promoting NGOs, along with many other international NGOs and millions of people around the world, while condemning such horrible war crimes, calls upon the international community and responsible international organizations to do all they can to stop the ongoing tragedies in Gaza and reminds them that silence in the face of these crimes makes criminals continue killing and committing genocide with impunity….

The international day of Peace will be observed at the Tehran Peace Museum on Tuesday 19 September 2023 from 3 to 5 pm.

Each year the International Day of Peace (IDP) is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. Never has our world needed peace more.

This year’s theme is Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals. It is a call to action that recognizes our individual and collective responsibility to foster peace. Fostering peace contributes to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will create a culture of peace for all.

Representatives of relevant international organizations, NGOs are invited to attend the ceremony.

The event is open for public.

A training session on “Introduction to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons - OPCW -" was held on Wednesday, August 9 at the Tehran Peace Museum. This half-day, hybrid (in person/virtual) meeting was attended by over 40 participants, with the aim of increasing public awareness about The objectives, structure and performance of the OPCW, as well as familiarization with job opportunities and internship program in this international organization..

 The program started with a video message from the Head of Public Affairs and Spokesperson of the OPCW, Ms. Elizabeth Vaechter who provided brief information about the OPCW, its priorities and the role of civil society in promoting its goals, then Dr. Shahriar Khatari, the former OPCW senior officer, delivered a presentation regarding the history and structure of the OPCW, as well as the use of chemistry in wars and the importance of its peaceful use, followed by a presentation by the representative of the National Authority for the Chemical Weapons Convention -CWC - , Ministry of Foreign Affairs on technical and political aspects of the CWC and its national implementation. Then, Mehrdad Habibi, former OPCW inspector explained about the organization's verification / inspection system and the life of an OPCW inspector and then Ms. M. Jahangiri, a former OPCW intern, spoke about her experience regarding this internship and how to apply for internship in the organization, finally Mr. Hojat Barna, who is currently doing an internship in the OPCW in The Hague provided valuable information about his internship experience in a video.

 At the end, certificates of attendance were presented to the participants.

 To know the next program of this series of meetings in the near future, regularly check the website of the Peace Museum...

Three representatives of the Tehran Peace Museum (TPM) attended the 5^th Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention – CWC – which was held from 15 to 19 May 2023 in the Hague, The Netherlands.

Delegations from 193 States Parties to the conventions as well as representatives of over 50 Non-governmental organizations attended this event which convenes every five years to examine the CWC's operation, it evaluates the Convention's implementation status and sets out priorities for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons -OPCW- for the upcoming years .

TPM which was invited to the conference as a member of the CWC-NGO coalition, hold an exhibition in the margin of the conference on the chronic health effects of exposure to chemical warfare agents. TPM also co-organized a side event on the “victims of chemical weapons, their health needs and rights”.

During the conference, the TPM representatives met with the OPCW officials including the Director General Ambassador Arias to discuss the role of the OPCW in providing assistance to the CW victims as well as on how the NGOs can support the Technical Secretariate of the OPCW in achieving the coals of the convention.

The conference in the Hague was also an opportunity for representatives various NGOs active in the field of CWC, disarmament and related issues to share experience and discuss possible avenues of cooperation in this field.

Tehran Peace Museum wishes you all a peaceful year ahead, full of health, understanding and happiness. 

May you be blessed this new year, with inner peace, prosperity and tranquility!

International Day of Peace commemorating ceremony, with the cooperation of Tehran Peace Museum, Iranian Secretariat of Mayors for peace, ICOM Iran, Iranian National Commission of UNESCO, United Nations Office in Iran, Tehran Book Garden, Museum of Friendship, Center of Communication and International Affairs of Tehran Municipality, was held at Tehran Book Garden. 

The opening of the ceremony began after the recitation of the Quran, and then the statement of the UN Secretary-General was read by Ms. Eigner Marie Venez (Head of the United Nations Information Center in Iran) and Mr. Pasha Tabrizian (UN Information Expert). Then Mr. Ahmad Mohit Tabatabai (President of ICOM Iran) gave a speech regarding peace in the history of Iran.

The opening was Followed-up by the video "What is peace?" and then Ms. Pope Mahdavi Nader gave a speech in relation to her project entitled "Walking around the world with the slogan of peace and friendship". Next, the statement of the Iranian Organ Donation Association with the theme "Organ donation, a symbol of peace" was read by Ms. Baran Nikrah (the ambassador of the Iranian Organ Donation Association). Then Ms. Zohra Bahrul Uloomi (origami master) introduced this art The opening ceremony was carried on by the reading Tehran Peace Musem statement by the two active veterans, Mr. Taqipour Moghadam (Director of the TPM) and Mr. Mohammadi.