Delivered by Ambassador Fernando Arias, OPCW Director-General

THE HAGUE, Netherlands–28 June 2025–It is an honour for me to address you today on this solemn occasion.

On this day, 28 June, 38 years ago, the people of Sardasht were exposed to an attack of unimaginable brutality. The large-scale use of mustard gas killed over 100 people, many of them children.

It also blighted the lives of thousands of people who continue to live with life-changing injuries and trauma.  

Today, and every year, the OPCW stands in solidarity with the people of Sardasht in commemorating the victims of this criminal attack.

On behalf of the OPCW, I wish to convey our sincere sympathies to the victims, to their families, and to all those who continue to suffer as a result of this atrocity. Remembering the tragedy of Sardasht is an opportunity to reflect on why our collective efforts to rid the world of chemical weapons are so vital.

It was in the aftermath of such atrocities that the international community, united by a common purpose, took decisive and collective action. The Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force in 1997 banning an entire category of weapons of mass destruction, and its implementing body, the OPCW was created in the same year.

Since then, we have seen significant progress in fulfilling the purpose of the Convention. In July 2023, we completed the destruction of all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by possessor states. This was done under strict international verification as set out in the Convention. This accomplishment provides assurances to the international community that such weapons could not be used again.

Despite our success, however, the threat of reemergence of chemical weapons is real – and growing.   Recent years have seen use and threats of use of chemical weapons in a number of countries, including by non-state actors.

The rapid advancement of science and technology presents new risks that the drafters of the Convention could not have foreseen.

In these circumstances, we must redouble our efforts to ensure that we never again witness such barbaric and illegal methods of warfare or acts of terrorism.

On 17 June we commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Geneva Protocol. That protocol, which bans the use of biological and chemical weapons in war, was a major breakthrough back in 1925.

Tragically, however, Sardasht is a stark reminder that laws themselves are not always enough. Only concerted global action through strong international institutions will safeguard the global norm.

It is in memory of the victims, and in honour of the survivors of these chemical attacks, that we strengthen our resolve to achieve – permanently – a world free of chemical weapons.