Towards universal elimination of chemical weapons

OPCW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its comprehensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons. The organisation monitors that the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993, which prohibits the stockpiling and production of such weapons, is respected. OPCW has destroyed many of them and carries out inspections to verify that the convention is observed.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee attached particular importance to the fact that the Convention and OPCW’s work could lead to the universal elimination of weapons of mass destruction and become a model for other treaties. The Committee criticised the United States and Russia for not destroying their large arsenals of chemical weapons. Another goal was to put greater pressure on states that had not signed or ratified the Convention.

The use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war was another reason why the Norwegian Nobel Committee wished to support OPCW.