The Syrian government has handed the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) more than 34 sealed boxes containing documents related to chemical weapons in Syria during the previous regime. The materials were delivered over the past year, documented and digitally scanned, and will be processed in preparation for translation and analysis.
According to the United Nations, the organization has conducted interviews with former experts and collected 19 samples and more than 6,000 documents from over 20 sites visited since March 2025.
Visits suspended due to current conditions
The UN Deputy High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Adedeji Ebo, said visits to additional sites have currently been suspended due to the ongoing conflict in the region.
“However, OPCW teams continue conducting interviews and reviewing documents until the security situation allows site visits to resume,” Ebo added during a regular UN Security Council meeting on eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons program, according to a UN statement released on Tuesday evening, March 10.
According to Ebo, Syria’s new government is working with the organization’s technical team to obtain clarifications regarding the full scope of the program developed by the previous government and to ensure Syria’s long-term compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention.
He noted that since 2014, the technical team of the OPCW Technical Secretariat has been unable to confirm the accuracy and completeness of the declaration submitted by the previous Syrian government.
The secretariat has expressed deep concern over issues affecting that declaration related to “large quantities of chemical warfare agents and chemical munitions that may not have been declared or verified.”
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates had previously reactivated the country’s permanent mission to the OPCW in The Hague.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), on November 20, 2025, the ministry appointed Mohamad Katoub as Syria’s permanent representative to the organization.
Earlier, the First Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution supported by 151 countries, highlighting a stage of positive and advanced cooperation between Syria and the OPCW.
Call to eliminate chemical weapons in Syria
Ebo stressed that the international community must also provide significant and sustained support to complete the extensive efforts aimed at eliminating all chemical weapons in Syria.
He said there is an important opportunity for disarmament and for the non-proliferation regime, calling on the Security Council to unite and show leadership in providing the support “required for this unprecedented effort.”
He confirmed that the United Nations stands ready to assist and will continue to play its role in reinforcing the principle of prohibiting the use of chemical weapons anywhere and at any time.
Ebo also welcomed the continued cooperation between the OPCW and Syria regarding the elimination of any remnants of the chemical weapons program developed by the previous government, saying that “the current moment is important for disarmament and the non-proliferation regime.”
Syria’s approach
Syria’s representative to the OPCW, Mohamad Katoub, said the country is entering a completely different phase in dealing with the issue. He said that Syria today “is no longer a threat as it was during the Assad era,” but rather “a positively active member” seeking to regain its full rights within the organization.
Katoub made the remarks during his address to the Conference of the States Parties at the OPCW headquarters on November 26, 2025. He began by noting that he had previously worked as a witness to dozens of chemical attacks inside Syria.
He said this legacy pushes him to strengthen cooperation between national teams and the international organization “to ensure mutual cooperation and to restore Syria’s full seat within the organization to which we belong and whose work we value.”
Katoub explained that Syria’s approach to dealing with the remnants of chemical weapons is based on three main pillars:
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