7 March 2025
Madame President,
Distinguished Members of the Security Council,
I thank Council members for the opportunity to brief you once again on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2118 (2013) on the elimination of the chemical weapons programme of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Since the last consideration of this matter by the Council, and consistent with established practice, the Office for Disarmament Affairs has been in regular contact with its counterparts in the OPCW Technical Secretariat on activities related to the implementation of resolution 2118. I spoke to Director-General Arias on 28 February and received a full briefing, and I also had the pleasure of meeting with Ambassador Aldahhak of Syria on 3 March.
Madame President,
Since the Council’s previous meeting on this matter, as we all know, a new political reality has emerged in Syria. As the Secretary-General has emphasized, the people of Syria are now facing an historic opportunity to build a stable and peaceful future for the Syrian people after 14 years of brutal war.
As part of such a stable and peaceful future, the new reality also presents an opportunity to obtain long-overdue clarifications on the full extent and scope of the Syrian chemical weapons programme; to rid the country of all chemical weapons; to normalise relations with the OPCW; and to ensure long-term compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention. Syria has started to take steps towards this objective.
Madame President,
The importance of closing all outstanding issues related to Syria’s chemical weapons dossier cannot be overstated. As I reported before, the previous Syrian authorities submitted 20 amendments to the Syrian Arab Republic’s initial declaration. However, the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team (or DAT) was never able to confirm that the declaration submitted was accurate and complete, because of the insufficient and inaccurate information it contained. Over the last 11 years, the DAT has raised and reported a total of 26 outstanding issues with Syria’s declaration, of which 19 remain unresolved. The OPCW Technical Secretariat has reported that the substance of the 19 outstanding issues remains a ‘serious concern’ as it involves large quantities of potentially undeclared or unverified chemical warfare agents and chemical munitions.
In addition, the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) and the OPCW Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) have documented the use of chemical weapons in Syria and, in a number of incidents, identified the Syrian Arab Armed Forces as the perpetrators.
Thus, the OPCW Technical Secretariat has reported that it is ‘undeniable’ that the previous authorities in Syria did not declare the full extent of the Syrian chemical weapons programme and that they continued to use, and possibly produce, chemical weapons after joining the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013.
Madame President,
The situation left by the previous Syrian authorities is extremely worrying.
Therefore, I am encouraged that the new authorities have expressed their desire and commitment to embark on a new chapter of cooperation with the OPCW to close the outstanding issues.
On 8 February, the OPCW Director-General and a high-level delegation from the OPCW Technical Secretariat visited Damascus, at the invitation of the caretaker Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al-Shaibani. During this visit, the Director-General also met with Mr. Ahmad Hussein al-Sharaa, who gave assurances of the new authorities’ intent to cooperate with the OPCW.
Following the visit, I was informed that on 21 February, the Director-General received a letter from the caretaker Foreign Minister with the appointment of a focal point for chemical weapons matters within the Ministry. Shortly thereafter, the focal point official travelled to The Hague for in-person meetings with the OPCW Technical Secretariat on how to advance the OPCW’s ‘9-point Action Plan for Syria’.
I am further encouraged by the statement made by the caretaker Foreign Minister on Wednesday at this week’s session of the OPCW Executive Council, in which he emphasized the new authorities’ commitment to destroying any remains of the chemical weapons programme developed under the previous authorities, bring justice to the victims, and ensure Syria’s compliance with international law.
I am pleased to note that, as a result of the renewed commitment, the new Syrian authorities and the OPCW Technical Secretariat have already begun to work towards these goals. In the coming days, a team of technical experts from the OPCW Technical Secretariat will be deployed to Damascus to work on establishing the OPCW’s permanent physical presence in Syria and start jointly planning deployments to chemical weapons sites.
Madame President,
The OPCW Technical Secretariat remains fully committed to implementing its mandate aimed at verifying the fulfilment of the Syrian Arab Republic’s declaration obligations under the Convention, decisions by OPCW policymaking organs, and Security Council resolutions.
Furthermore, the commitment of the caretaker authorities in Syria to fully and transparently cooperate with the OPCW Technical Secretariat is commendable.
That said, the work ahead will not be easy. The new reality, while presenting an opportunity to chart a new course for Syria, also presents significant challenges amidst significant humanitarian, security and recovery needs in the country. In order to accomplish all the tasks needed to rid Syria of all chemical weapons, the OPCW Technical Secretariat and the new authorities in Syria will require strong support and additional resources from the international community.
Madame President,
Distinguished Members of the Security Council,
I urge the members of this Council to unite and show leadership in providing the support that this unprecedented effort will require. This is a priority action directly addressing the future security of Syria, states in the region, as well as the global community.
The United Nations stands ready to provide support however we can and will continue to do our part to uphold the norm against the use of chemical weapons – anywhere, at any time.
I thank you very much for your attention.