A delegation of the Society for Chemical Weapons Victims Support (SCWVS) and representatives from the Tehran Peace Museum will attend the annual Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) conference of the State Parties in the Hague, Netherlands from 2-6 December, 2013.

The OPCW conference, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013, is an important forum, particularly in light of the recent chemical attacks in Syria, which recently joined the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

On 14 October 2013, the Chemical Weapons Convention -CWC- entered into force for the Syrian Arab Republic, making it the 190th State Party to the treaty. Syria deposited its instrument of accession with the United Nations Secretary-General on 14 September.

At its 74th session in October 2013, the OPCW Executive Council noted the accession of the Syrian Arab Republic and urgently called upon all States not Party to the Convention to join without delay or precondition.

Israel, Egypt, South Sudan, Angola, North Korea and myanmar have not joined the CWC yet, known as 6 states non party to the convention.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), won the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday 11 October. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the OPCW won the award "for its extensive efforts" to rid the world of such weapons. "The conventions and the work of the OPCW have defined the use of chemical weapons as a taboo under international law," the committee said. "Recent events in Syria, where chemical weapons have again been put to use, have underlined the need to enhance the efforts to do away with such weapons." The $1.25 million Nobel Peace Prize will be presented in Oslo, Norway, on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will.

The OPCW was entablished in the Hague in 1997 following entering into force of the Chemical Weapons Convention which has 189 member states at the moment. the OPCW is currently overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal.

The 4th issue of the OPCW (ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS) newsletter was published in July 2013.

In this issue, there is full coverage of The Third Review Conference (8-19 April 2013), in which some of the members and volunteers of Tehran Peace Museum were participated. You can see the pictures of TPM representatives in pages 21 & 22.

Download the newsletter in PDF from here to know more about the OPCW and the Third Review Conference.

 

 On 28 June 2013 the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force for Somalia, making it the 189th State Party to the treaty. Somalia had earlier deposited its instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, on 29 May, and 30 days later the Convention entered into force for the country. This has reduced to seven the number of States that have not yet joined the CWC.

(Angola, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, Israel, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria)

Victims of chemical warfare on Iran welcome this development as another significant step toward achieving universality of the Convention and thereby strengthening global peace and security.

For more details click here

http://www.opcw.org/somalia-becomes-189th-state-party-to-the-chemical-weapons-convention

 

On the occasion of “National day for commemoration of victims of Chemical Weapons” and the anniversary of “Saradsht” chemical attack, a memorial ceremony was held in Tehran Peace Museum on Saturday 29 June 2013. Citizens, journalists, UN agencies representatives, CW victims and their families, NGOs members and activists, officials, artists, as well as the TPM members and volunteers were among the participants of the ceremony.

Apart from the ceremony, on this day, at Tehran Peace Museum several CW victims - most of them are volunteer guides of the museum – hosted visitors to share their experience with them and to raise awareness about the consequences of Chemical Weapons, from 9 am to 4pm.

One of the CW survivors, with severe injuries, delivered the statement of the SCWVS on the behalf of the all CW victims and survivors.

Dr. Araghchi, deputy foreign minister and the former ambassador to Japan, participated in the memorial ceremony and said he usually attends this kind of ceremonies to visit the CW victims and during the years he served as the ambassador in Japan, he also used to attend the ceremony to commemorate Hiroshima’s atomic bombard victims and visit the CW victims there too.

There was also another ceremony on this date (4-5 pm) to appreciate all the efforts of Prof. Hosein Elyasi, a physician who worked on treatments of CW victims of Iran-Iraq war during 1980s. Also there was a book launch ceremony to introduce his book: Microscopic lesions due to Sulfur Mustard Exposure.

At the end of the ceremony, all participants dedicated flowers to the peace monument in the City Park, where the museum is located .

To see the photos of this event please click here.

An observance on "Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare" was held in Tehran Peace Museum on Monday 29 April 2013.

Survivors of chemical warfare and their families, war veterans, representatives of NGOs and international organizations as well as officials were among the participants of the ceremony.

Statements by Iranian vice president, UN Secretary General and the OPCW Director General were read during the program.

Mr. Mohamadi a survivor of chemical warfare, delivered a message on behalf of CW victims and wished for abolition of chemical weapons and all WMD.

At the end of the program, an Olive tree was planted in front of the Peace museum as the symbol of peace and non-violence.

To see the photos of the event click here .

 

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon visited the art exhibition set up by TPM on the side line of the 3rd review conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention in the Hague and had a chat with TPM members including survivors of chemical warfare.

Ban Ki-moon who was in the Hague to attend the opening ceremony of the CWC review conference, in his opening speech mentioned his meeting with the gas attacks survivors and that it makes our responsibility heavier to try for abolition of WMD including chemical weapons.

The third review conference of the Chemcial Weapons Cinvention was started on 08 April in the Hague with diplomatic delegationd from 188 member states, over 70 NGOs and international organizations. A delegation from the Tehran Peace Museum and the Society for Chemical Weapons Victims Support - SCWVS - have participated in the conference as amembers of CWC NGO coalition.

 

The 3rd  review conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention - CWC- will be held in the Hague, the Netherlands from 8 to19 April 2013.

Diplomatic delegations from 188 state parties , representatives of International organizations as well as many NGOs will participate in this very important event which takes place every 5 years.

Representatives of the SCWVS are invited to attend the conference.

Among other side events of the conference, would be an art exhibition by Nasim Taghipoor, a volunteer member of the SCWVS and Tehran Peace Museum who will exhibit her art works on impacts of war and Chemical Warfare.

 A launching ceremony of the book titled"Atlas of Mustard Gas Injuries" was held on Sunday 20 January 2013 at Tehran Peace Museum. The occasion was marked by the presence of many experts, scholars and government officials including Prof. Kouki Inai from Hiroshima, the chief editor,as well as Iranian authors of the book.

In writing this book, 27 medical doctors (18 Iranians & 9 Japanese) worked together and contributed; the “Atlas” has 22 chapters of which 14 chapters written by Iranians and 8 chapters by Japanese authors.

 

If you are interested to receive a copy, contact us on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  , Please click here  to see photos of the ceremony.