Director-General's remarks at the opening of the OPCW Exhibition Opening (en anglais seulement)

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me welcome you all warmly to this exhibition organized to mark the tenth anniversary of the entry-into-force of the Convention for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
I am delighted to have here with us Mr. Rogelio Pfirter, Director-General of the OPCW, the organisation tasked with the implementation of the Convention.
You may wish to note that the location of this exhibition here in front of the Council Chamber has been chosen specifically to symbolize the fact that the Convention for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has been the proud product of the Conference on Disarmament.
The Chemical Weapons Convention has broken new ground in multilateral disarmament. It is a matter of great satisfaction that the membership of the OPCW has increased to 182. The world is now a safer place due to the commitment of the States Parties to that Convention as well as to its near universalization.
As the first multilateral disarmament agreement that requires the elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction, the Chemical Weapons Convention is a landmark development in the international community in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation. Over the last 10 years, we have admired the keen and progressive resolve of the international community - through the OPCW - to secure the world from the threat of chemical weapons.
I cannot stress sufficiently the importance of the Chemical Weapons Convention in the current strategic context. The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery poses a growing danger to us all. Together with the spread of international terrorism, it is deemed the pre-eminent threat to international security. This global challenge requires a multifaceted solution.
The adoption, universalization, full implementation and, where necessary, strengthening of multilateral treaties and other international instruments whose aim is to prevent the proliferation or illicit acquisition of such items and to strengthen the institutions designed to implement these instruments represents a major way to address the issue.
The pledge undertaken by the States Parties to the CWC is a crucial element in the field of global disarmament, ensuring a safer world for future generations. Given that the Conference on Disarmament was in effect the mother of the Chemical Weapons Convention, I still cherish the hope that collectively, we will be able to make more babies!
I would now like to ask the Director-General of the OPCW to introduce the exhibition.