Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

30 November

The Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention decided that 30 November would be the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare.

This commemoration provides an opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, as well as reaffirm the commitment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons, thereby promoting the goals of peace and security.

These heinous weapons have been used in Syria and have caused hundreds of casualties, including children. Human rights reports have documented the killing of nearly 1,500 people and the injury of 12,000 others as a result of the use of chemical weapons in Syria during the past 11 years. 

The Syrian people constitute the largest number victimized by chemical weapons in the current century. The use of these weapons in Syria is one of the horrific crimes to which the statute of limitation does not apply, and the perpetrators must be held accountable and brought to justice. The forthcoming constitution shall guarantee full compliance with the International Humanitarian Law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights, the International Convention Against Torture and the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons. It shall also guarantee holding perpetrators of all kinds of crimes accountable, serving justice for victims, providing reparations, and ensuring non-repetition.