Canada allocates CAD 5 million to support OPCW missions in Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Government of Canada on Wednesday announced a voluntary contribution of CAD 5 million (approximately $3,657,000) to support missions related to Syria conducted by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The funding will go to the OPCW Trust Fund for Syria Missions and will support activities carried out by the OPCW Technical Secretariat aimed at establishing the full scope of Syria’s chemical weapons program, verifying all declarable elements, assisting in the development and implementation of a destruction plan, and investigating allegations of chemical weapons use, including identifying those responsible.
The contribution was marked during a meeting at the OPCW headquarters in The Hague between Canada’s Permanent Representative to the OPCW, Ambassador Hugh Adsett, and OPCW Director-General Ambassador Fernando Arias.
Arias welcomed the contribution, saying continued international backing was essential to advance efforts to close the Syrian chemical weapons file, which he described as a matter of fundamental importance to international peace and security.
Canada has been among the countries supporting accountability efforts related to the use of prohibited weapons in Syria through financial and political backing for international mechanisms.