Distinguished Chair,

I am very pleased to take the floor today, on behalf of the 31 members of the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, to highlight some of the important contributions made by the Global Partnership (GP) community since the last Review Conference to strengthen the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and enhance global chemical security.

The Global Partnership requires no introduction to the CWC community. Since its establishment in 2002 at the G8 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, the GP has been at the forefront of international efforts to prevent, detect and respond to all manner of chemical weapons and chemical terrorism related threats. Our efforts are guided by the GP’s Chemical Security Strategic Vision, which identifies seven priority areas for collective and coordinated action:

• supporting chemical weapons destruction;
• preventing and responding to chemical weapons use;
• strengthening and supporting the OPCW;
• supporting and enhancing chemical non-proliferation instruments, institutions and practices;
• fostering collaboration on national, regional, and global security initiatives;
• enhancing the security of chemicals; and
• promoting chemical security culture globally.

In developing and delivering chemical threat reduction programming, GP members place great importance on cooperation and assistance in support of the CWC, including Article X. Indeed, GP members assess that Article X-relevant international cooperation related to Assistance and Protection Against Chemical Weapons contributes significantly to the mitigation of global chemical threats. In this regard, the members of the Global Partnership reaffirm our full support to fellow member Ukraine and underscore our commitment to continue to assist Ukraine to counter chemical related risks caused by Russia’s unjustifiable war of aggression.

The nature and scope of chemical weapons threat reduction programming delivered by GP members in the past five years is summarized in a working paper submitted to this Review Conference. This working paper includes a total of 103 projects implemented or funded by 27 GP partners¹. These projects are valued at more than €271 million and were implemented in dozens of countries in every region of the world.

This paper is not an exhaustive catalogue of every chemical security project that has been implemented by GP partners since 2018. It is rather an indicative summary meant to highlight to CWC States Parties the significance of the collective contribution of GP members to global chemical threat reduction and to fulfilment of respective national commitments under the CWC.

While all GP contributions to mitigate chemical weapons proliferation and terrorism threats are important, let me highlight in particular the sustained and substantial support provided by GP partners to the OPCW. Since 2018 GP members have contributed more than €70 million to the OPCW to support a broad range of priorities, including monitoring and investigation of chemical weapons use in Syria, enhancement of cyber and physical security infrastructure and the construction of the new Center for Chemistry and Technology. While GP partners are proud of these many contributions made to the OPCW, we underscore that the responsibility for bearing organizational costs that impact all CWC States Parties should not be borne disproportionately by a small minority through voluntary contributions.

Should you have any questions or wish to discuss any specific projects referenced in the working paper, please engage directly with the funding country. For more general questions on the Chemical Security Strategic Vision and programming efforts of the GP, we encourage you to consult the Global Partnership website (www.gpwmd.com).

[1] Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, The European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States