Poland Contributes €100,000 To Support OPCW Missions
The Republic of Poland has voluntarily contributed EUR 100,000 to two trust funds of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Of this total, EUR 50,000 are designated to the Trust Fund for Syria Missions, while the remaining EUR 50,000 are allocated to the Trust Fund for the Implementation of Article X, earmarked for activities in Ukraine.
The voluntary contribution was formalised on 19 January 2026 in a signing ceremony held between the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the OPCW, H.E. Ms Margareta Kassangana, and the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias, at the Organisation's Headquarters in The Hague.
Ambassador Kassangana stated: "Against the background of growing instability and an increasing number of challenges related to global security, the OPCW and its important work continues to be highly appreciated and supported by the international community. Poland remains a steadfast supporter of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and I expect that the voluntary contribution will facilitate Organisation's work related to Ukraine and Syria."
The Director-General stated: "I am grateful to the Republic of Poland for its enduring commitment to the CWC and support to the OPCW. Documented cases of chemical weapons use in past years in the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as numerous allegations of use of toxic chemical since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, show that the OPCW's mission is far from complete. Concrete support from States Parties, including the contribution made by Poland today, will assist the OPCW in the successful delivery of its mandates."
"The Technical Secretariat will continue to focus closely on the Syrian chemical weapons dossier with the highest level of professionalism and expertise. The Secretariat and Ukraine will continue discussions on how to further support Ukraine within the framework of the CWC and the relevant decisions of the policy-making organs," he added.
Poland's contribution to the Trust Fund for Syria Missions will support OPCW's missions and activities to determine the full scope of Syria's chemical weapons programme, as well as investigations of alleged chemical weapons use and the identification of perpetrators in the Syrian Arab Republic. Poland's contribution to the Trust Fund for the Implementation of Article X will support ongoing Assistance and Protection programmes related to Ukraine.
Poland has been an active member of the OPCW since 1997 and is currently a member of the Executive Council. In Subsidiary Organs, Poland is represented on the Scientific Advisory Board.
To date, Poland has contributed a total of more than EUR 320,000 voluntary contributions to different trust funds of the OPCW, including the Trust Fund for a Centre for Chemistry and Technology, the Trust Fund for Syria Missions and the Trust Fund for the Implementation of Article X.
The fall of the Assad government in December 2024 created an opportunity to uncover the full scope of Syria's chemical weapons programme and to eliminate it in line with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). In February 2025, the OPCW Director-General visited Syria and held separate meetings with the Syrian President and Foreign Minister. They expressed Syria's recognition of all OPCW mandates, including the identification of perpetrators of chemical weapons use in Syria and reaffirmed Syria's full commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the CWC. In March 2025, the Syrian Foreign Minister visited the OPCW and addressed the Executive Council, where he renewed Syria's commitment to the Convention.
Since the visit by the Director-General to Damascus in February 2025, the OPCW Technical Secretariat deployed several times to Syria, involving visits to suspected locations, sampling, interviews, collection of documents related to Syria's chemical weapons programme, and coordination.
The OPCW Technical Secretariat has been monitoring the situation on the territory of Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022 in relation to allegations of use of toxic chemicals as weapons.
In 2024 and 2025, the Technical Secretariat conducted three Technical Assistance Visits (TAVs) to Ukraine upon Ukraine's request. The reports of all three TAVs confirmed that the samples collected by Ukraine on the battlefield contained the toxic chemical 2-Chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile, known as CS. The Convention explicitly prohibits the use of riot control agents as a weapon of war on the battlefield.
Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) provides for assistance and protection to a State Party if it is attacked or threatened by chemical weapons. Through the relevant Trust Fund, the OPCW Technical Secretariat has provided support to Ukraine, upon its request, to strengthen its preparedness and response capabilities against chemical weapons threats. These efforts included deployment of the Technical Assistance Visits, provision of protective, detection, and identification equipment and training Ukrainian first responders and experts.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention's entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
In 2023, the OPCW verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997 - totalling 72,304 metric tonnes of chemical agents - have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW's strict verification regime.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.
https://www.opcw.org/media-centre/news/2026/01/poland-contributes-eu100000-support-opcw-missions
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