On the picture, Ambassador Dr. Christoph Israng and OPCW Director General H. E. Ahmet Üzümcü.   By Ambassador Dr Christoph Israng, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the OPCW.   One hundred years ago in World War I, the German military command broke a taboo by ordering the first use of chemical weapons on a large scale near Ypres, Belgium. Unfortunately, other states followed this bad example not only in World War I, not only in Europe. In total, chemical weapons have killed far more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians in the past century, while more than 1 million people have been severely harmed by these terrible weapons. After 1945, immense stockpiles of chemical weapons were built up. Many still remember the tragic use of chemical weapons in the Middle East in the 1980s that claimed thousands of victims. With the end of the Cold War, the window of opportunity was finally open to reach an international agreement on banning chemical weapons all over the world. The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) that entered into force in 1997 was the right answer. It is administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The parties’ main obligation under the convention is to prohibit the use and production of chemical weapons, as well as the destruction of all existing chemical weapons. Since the entering into force, 90 % of the declared 70,000 tonnes of chemical weapons have been destroyed – an incredibly large amount given that just one drop of Sarin would be enough to kill an adult. The CWC is indeed a success story. In fact, one could argue that the CWC is the most successful disarmament treaty in history as it has almost universal validity. 190 states have joined the convention so far. Moreover, it is backed by international verification.

For the Federal Republic of Germany, disarmament and non-proliferation have always been a top foreign policy priority. That is why Germany actively contributes to the CWC. This is not only shown by the existence of a separate Permanent Representation, which is one of the very few diplomatic missions in The Hague dealing exclusively with the OPCW. Here are just a few further examples of our contributions: Germany provided Russia with four industrial-size plants to destroy their chemical weapons in the last decade amounting to EUR 400 million. It is also contributing to several projects in the Near and Middle East. In addition, Germany engaged in the commemoration of Ypres by hosting a scientific conference and contributing to an exhibition at the OPCW. Furthermore, Germany has initiated the establishment of ethical guidelines for chemists, comparable with the Hippocratic Oath. Although almost all countries in the world have subscribed to the ban of chemical weapons, their threat is still present. Clearly, the fact that Syria joined the CWC in 2013 and was subsequently obliged to dismantle its chemical weapons programme is a success. However, there have been ongoing reports that chemicals such as chlorine are still used as chemical weapons, killing and injuring mainly innocent civilians. Even though chlorine is a common industrial chemical, its use as a weapon is banned under the CWC and absolutely unacceptable. It is essential that the use of these chemicals is investigated and the culprits held accountable for their actions. The Federal Republic of Germany contributed to the joint efforts of the OPCW family to end the threat posed by the Syrian chemical weapons programme by destroying more than 333 tonnes of residual products of mustard gas hydrolysate at GEKA in Munster, Germany. This operation was successfully completed in April 2015. Moreover, the German Armed Forces have run several safety training courses for OPCW inspectors. Germany has financed two projects to improve the protection and the treatment of civilian chemical weapons victims in Syria. Germany also contributed EUR 5 million to the OPCW Trust Fund to destroy the rest of Syria’s declared chemical weapons. With our contributions to a world free of chemical weapons, we are endeavouring to face up to our historical responsibility. Even if this has been a long and stony road, we are optimistic that we will achieve our aim and ban the threat of chemical weapons in this world once and for all. Further challenges remain, such as non-state actors and incapacitating agents. Therefore, we strongly endorse the efforts of the OPCW’s Director General Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü to advance the discussion on the organisation’s future. Germany will play an active role in this discussion.

By His Excellency Lambert Grijns – Ambassador for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and HIV/AIDS at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.   Would you have ever guessed that a Ministry of Foreign Affairs works on issues such as maternal mortality and sexuality education? I certainly did not when I applied for diplomatic service. But whilst working as a diplomat in different countries in Asia, Sub-Sahara Africa and Latin America I came to understand how important it is that people, especially adolescents, can make informed decisions and have access to services when it comes to love, (sexual) relationships and pregnancy. So when I was asked to become the Ambassador for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and HIV/AIDS in 2013 I did not hesitate for a second. In our Dutch SRHR policy we focus on youth, on access to information, commodities and services as well as the promotion of rights (including for sexual minorities). In order to progress on these four goals we work with a variety of different actors; multilateral organizations, governments, civil-society organizations, companies and faith-based organizations. I think in this work it is crucial to recognize that there is no right or wrong. As a diplomat, I learned that to work effectively with others you have to be able to listen, to find a common language and to treat diverging views with respect. And to share what you are proud of: in my case the Dutch experiences with SRHR, resulting in one of the lowest rates of teenage pregnancies and abortions in the world. Another success I would like to share with you is about the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam in 2018. The Netherlands won the bid for this great event, which will bring more than 20,000 people to the Netherlands to discuss the future of the AIDS epidemic, including world leaders, pop stars and VIPs. We need their, and our, prominent and collective attention to keep HIV/AIDS high on the international agenda. The conference is a platform and an instrument. It cements our political commitment to women and girls in Southern Africa, who are especially vulnerable to HIV. The same applies to the status of key populations, such as sexual minorities, who primarily live in middle-income countries. The vulnerability of young girls and key populations has been on the Dutch agenda for some time. Most recently, during a high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS on April 9^th, here in The Hague. Minister Ploumen for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation discussed strategy with UNAIDS, the Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Aids Funds, a prominent Dutch civil-society organization. Conclusions at the end of the day were ambivalent. Positive in the respect that the number of deaths has been greatly reduced, thanks to medication, education, testing and condom use. But also worrisome: still, every hour 30 people are newly infected with HIV, particularly teenage girls. Even in the Netherlands we see 1100 new cases of HIV every year. And some countries, for example in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, even face an increase in new infections, especially among key populations. Worldwide, adolescents are the only group amongst whom AIDS-related deaths are not declining and just one in four infected children and adolescents under the age of 15 years has access to lifesaving antiretroviral treatment. That is why it is so important that HIV/AIDS is kept high on the international agenda. If we want to bring a halt to new infections, we need strong political will and to work on a number of fronts simultaneously: treatment, care and prevention. This means making ARTs as affordable and widely available as possible and maintaining proper care for the people who have contracted HIV. But just as importantly, we should keep working on prevention. We cannot accept that people, especially young people, get sick- only to start treating them later in life. So yes, there is still so much to be done. I invite all of you to join us at AIDS2018 in Amsterdam and see how we can move forward further, together. And to join us in our work as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs.