OPCW supports Syrian authorities in strengthening capacity to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention

The OPCW has trained 26 Syrian officials as part of its growing support to help Syria rebuild the institutional capacity needed to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention and fulfil its obligations as a State Party. (Photo: OPCW)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands-22 July 2026-The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has trained 26 Syrian officials as part of its growing support to help Syria build the institutional capacity needed to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and fulfil its obligations as a State Party.

Held from 29 June to 2 July 2026 at OPCW Headquarters in The Hague and the Organisation's Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre), the training course, as part of Organisation's international cooperation and assistance programme, brought together representatives from the Syrian National Authority for the CWC as well as other key government institutions responsible for implementing the Convention.

The training marks another step in the growing cooperation between the OPCW and the Syrian authorities. By strengthening national expertise and implementation systems, the Organisation is helping Syria build the foundations needed to declare, secure and ultimately destroy any remnants of the Assad-era chemical weapons programme.

Throughout the programme, participants explored the Convention's legal framework, declaration and destruction obligations, verification procedures, national implementation measures, and the responsibilities of Syria's National Authority. Interactive exercises and group discussions allowed participants to apply the Convention's requirements to realistic national scenarios and strengthen cooperation across institutions.

"Syria views dealing with the legacy of the chemical weapons file as an integral part of its national recovery that requires engagement with all government institutions at different levels," said Ambassador Mohamad Katoub, Permanent Representative of The Syrian Arab Republic to the OPCW.

"The workshop brought together key Syrian officials from seven ministries, the National Commission for Transitional Justice, and the Customs and Border Control Authority, representing different levels, including policymakers and technical teams. Investing in Syrian expertise today is an investment in a future free of chemical weapons, in strong national institutions capable of upholding the Chemical Weapons Convention, ensuring the non-recurrence of these crimes, and advancing justice and redress for victims," he highlighted.

Building the foundations for the Convention's implementation

The programme was specifically developed to respond to Syria's current needs and to establish a common foundation for future cooperation between the Syrian authorities and the OPCW. It is intended as the first step in a longer-term tailored capacity-building partnership that will support increasingly specialised assistance as Syria advances the Convention's implementation.

"The broad participation [in this workshop] reflects the Syrian Arab Republic's firm conviction that implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention is a national responsibility requiring coordinated action among all relevant institutions and at every level," said Mohammed Horeih, Syria's Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry, who participated in the workshop.

The training forms part of the OPCW's broader engagement with the new Syrian authorities following the renewed cooperation established in 2025. In this framework, the Organisation is supporting the Syrian National Authority in developing coordination mechanisms and technical expertise required to implement the Convention effectively.

Background

Syria acceded to the CWC in 2013 under a stringent verification regime. While Syria submitted an initial declaration of its chemical weapons programme, the former Syrian government did not declare all its chemical weapons programme and attempted - unsuccessfully - to mislead the international community about the overall scope and scale of the Syrian chemical weapons programme. Furthermore, the Technical Secretariat documented and independently confirmed chemical weapons use in Syria both by the former Syrian military forces and by non-State actors, specifically ISIS/ISIL.

The fall of the Assad government in December 2024 has provided new grounds for the Secretariat to continue its mandated activities towards uncovering the full scope of Syria's chemical weapons programme and to eliminate it in line with the CWC. In February 2025, OPCW Director-General Arias visited Syria and held separate meetings with the Syrian President and Foreign Minister. They expressed Syria's recognition of all OPCW mandates, including the identification of perpetrators of chemical weapons use in Syria and reaffirmed Syria's full commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the CWC. In March 2025, the Syrian Foreign Minister visited the OPCW and addressed the Executive Council, where he renewed Syria's commitment to the Convention.

Since the visit by Director-General Arias to Damascus in February 2025, the OPCW Technical Secretariat deployed several times to Syria, involving visits to suspected locations, sampling, interviews, and collection of documents related to Syria's chemical weapons programme.

To better coordinate efforts and to provide a foundation for future deployments and potential new mandates, the Director-General created on 1 June 2025 the Office of Special Missions (OSM) in the Technical Secretariat. The work related to the Syrian chemical weapons dossier - verification of declarations and investigation of use of toxic chemicals as weapons - is now coordinated by the OSM.

The Secretariat's deployment to the Syrian Arab Republic in May 2026 marked an important step towards resolving the Syrian chemical weapons dossier. During the deployment, the Secretariat identified previously undeclared chemical weapons-related materials, confirming that elements of the former Syrian authorities' chemical weapons programme had been concealed from the Organisation. At the same time, the deployment demonstrated the constructive engagement of the current Syrian authorities, who are working closely with the Organisation to address the outstanding issues related to the chemical weapons programme inherited from the Assad era. These developments represent an important opportunity to establish the full scope of the former programme and advance its complete, verifiable and irreversible elimination.

In July 2026, under the authority delegated by the Conference of the States Parties (CSP), the OPCW Executive Council, at its 112th session, adopted a draft decision to reinstate the rights and privileges of the Syrian Arab Republic at the OPCW that were suspended since 2021. The decision was co-sponsored by 67 States Parties from different regional groups and adopted by consensus.

As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention's entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.

In 2023, the OPCW verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997 - totalling 72,304 metric tonnes of chemical agents - have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW's strict verification regime.

For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.