THE HAGUE, Netherlands – 23 July 2020 – The Government of Japan is contributing €480,000 toward supporting the activities of the Trust Fund for Syria Missions at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which includes the work of the Declaration Assessment Team (DAT), the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM), and the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT).
The Fund supports the Organisation’s special missions and contingency operations related specifically to the Syrian Arab Republic. The Japanese voluntary contribution was formalised with an agreement signed by the Director-General of the OPCW, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, and H.E. Ambassador Hidehisa Horinouchi, Permanent Representative of Japan to the OPCW, at the Organisation’s headquarters in The Hague.
Ambassador Horinouchi commended the OPCW Technical Secretariat’s impartiality and professionalism, and stated: “Japan hopes that our voluntary contribution will ensure the eradication of proliferation risks regarding chemical weapons, and thereby serve to deter the use of chemical weapons, as we have seen repeatedly in the Syrian Arab Republic. This contribution embodies Japan’s unshakable commitments to achieving a world free of chemical weapons.”
The Director-General expressed his gratitude for Japan’s unwavering support, and remarked: “Japan has long been a central partner in the global disarmament regime and a determined supporter of the Chemical Weapons Convention. We thank the Government of Japan for this contribution and its commitment, which are as vital as ever to ensuring that the OPCW’s mandate is fulfilled.”
