| Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare | |
|---|---|
| Also called | Remembrance Day |
| Observed by | All UN Member States |
| Date | April 29 |
| Related to | Chemical Weapons Convention |
The Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare is an annual event held on April 29 as a "tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, as well as to reaffirm the commitment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons, thereby promoting the goals of peace, security, and multilateralism." It is officially recognised by the United Nations (UN) and has been celebrated since 2005. The date April 29 was designated as April 29, 1997 marked the day the Chemical Weapons Convention became in effect.
On November 11, 2005, during the last day of the United Nations' Tenth Session of the Conference of the State Parties, the members of the United Nations officially recognised the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare, following a suggestion by Rogelio Pfirter, Director-General of the Secretariat. In addition, Pfirter's proposal to erect at the Hague a monument commemorating all victims of chemical warfare was approved. The date of April 29 was chosen as the date for the event's celebration because on April 29, 1997, the Chemical Weapons Convention offically became universal law.[1] According to the United Nations, the event's purpose is to pay a "tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, as well as to reaffirm the commitment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons, thereby promoting the goals of peace, security, and multilateralism."[2]
While majority of the world has given up their chemical weapons as of 2013, Syria, North Korea, Angola, Egypt, Somalia, South Sudan, Israel and Burma still have not obliged. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted this in his 2013 Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare speech, condemning Syria in particular for its alleged exploitation of chemical weapons.[3]
