News Roundup

28 June 2024: Commemorating the 37th Anniversary of the Chemical Attack on Sardasht The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) is infamous for its association with the use of chemical weapons, particularly on civilians. On 28 June 1987, the town of Sardasht, Iran, became the first of the war to be targeted with chemical weapons. Today, survivors continue […]

US Formally Alleges Russian Use of CW in Ukraine On May 1, the United States Department of State published a press release that formally alleges that Russia has used a banned chemical choking agent and has used riot control agents in violation of the CWC in its war in Ukraine. The United States also announced it is

March 26 Webinar on “Current CWC Compliance Challenges”The global taboo against chemical weapons possession and use is strong, but it cannot be taken for granted. On March 26, the Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition and the Arms Control Association hosted a webinar on current CWC compliance issues, focusing on instances of chemical attacks in Syria and

In addition to sharing news and information on chemical weapons-related developments, this month we are requesting your input on our annual membership survey to gather feedback from our members and engage more fully with our community. We want to hear from CWC Coalition members about your experience being part of our network so far and

Webinar on the Completion of U.S. Chemical Weapons Stockpile Destruction We hosted a joint webinar with the Arms Control Association on September 29, 2023, to celebrate the end of the United States’ chemical weapons stockpile destruction. We would like to thank Kingston A. Reif, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense; Irene Kornelly, Chair of the Colorado Citizens’ Advisory Commission;

August 21, 2023 marked ten years since the chemical weapons attacks by the Assad regime in Ghouta, Syria. Considered the “largest chemical weapon attack in the modern age” by the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Ghouta is sadly only one of 222 recorded chemical weapons attacks in Syria since the start of the civil war. Regarding registration for CSP-28: Registration for

The United States is nearing completion of its chemical weapons stockpiles ahead of the target date at the end of September. The New York Times covered this important milestone in an article published on Thursday, 6 July (with quotes from coalition members Irene Kornelly and Craig Williams!). Irene and Craig have done an exceptional job overseeing the stockpile destruction at their

It was an absolute pleasure to meet those of you who attended RC5 in the Hague last month, and I hope to have the chance to meet more coalition members at future conferences. On behalf of the coalition, I would like to express how much we appreciate your dedication to our shared goals. NGO participation

Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition Preparing for Fifth Review Conference of the CWC Our main focus over the past month has been preparing for the Fifth Review Conference of the CWC, which will take place from 15 to 19 May in The Hague. We are facilitating NGO participation in the conference by organizing side events and NGO statements.