Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare 2017 observed

29 April: Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

The Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare 2017 was observed on 29 April 2017 by the United Nations (UN).

This commemoration will provide an opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, as well as to reaffirm the commitment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons.

The Third Review Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Convention held in April 2013 in the Hague, the Netherlands, adopted a political declaration that confirms the unequivocal commitment of the States Parties to the global chemical weapons ban.

Background

The United Nations' Conference of the States Parties at its Tenth Session on 11 November 2005 decided that a memorial Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare would be observed on 29 April, the day on which the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force in 1997.

Today, the OPCW Member States represent about 98 per cent of the global population and landmass, as well as 98% of the worldwide chemical industry.