Ministry Statements & Speeches:
New Zealand is unwavering in opposing the development, possession, and use of all weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological weapons. These indiscriminate and inhumane means and methods of warfare have no place in the modern world. The comprehensive legal prohibitions on biological and chemical weapons are hard won but towering achievements.
Despite the CWC’s overall success, we are faced with mounting indications of new use of chemical weapons.
We are gravely concerned by reports of Russia’s use of riot control agents and other chemical substances in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Three Technical Assistance Visits by the OPCW Technical Secretariat have confirmed the presence of riot control agents as a method of warfare, which the Convention strictly prohibits. We have also seen deeply troubling allegations of the systematic use of more toxic substances, such as chloropicrin.
We welcome the Secretariat providing training and equipment to Ukraine which will build its capacity to respond to potential chemical weapons attacks, including in evidence handling and preservation. This is critical to informing national investigations and contributing toward broader attribution of these attacks in due course.
We are increasingly persuaded that the use of chemical weapons against Ukraine is part of an escalating pattern, which has involved poisonings of Yulia and Sergei Skripal, and the deaths of Dawn Sturgess and Alexei Navalny. We condemn Russia’s actions in the strongest terms and call on Russia to cease its use of chemical weapons, comply fully with its obligations, and cooperate transparently with the OPCW.
Chair,
New Zealand commends the Syrian interim authorities on their decision to work with the international community to eliminate remaining chemical weapons in Syria once and for all. We note the cooperation of the interim authorities with the OPCW Technical Secretariat to ensure full and verified destruction of all chemical weapons and related infrastructure and urge them to continue doing so.
New Zealand welcomed the continuing work in the context of the BWC to strengthen it in the face of rapid scientific and technological advances. We need to ensure that the Convention is equipped to meet the challenges of the next fifty years.
New Zealand will continue to advocate for the universalisation and strengthening of the CWC and BWC. We remain committed to achieving a world free from weapons of mass destruction.