Sri Lanka reiterated its firm opposition to any use or threat of use of chemical weapons anywhere, at any time, by anybody under any circumstances at the 30th Session of the Conference of State Parties (CSP-30) to the Chemical Weapons Convention held in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Rekha Gunasekera, led the Sri Lanka delegation to the CSP-30 and delivered the National Statement.
Sri Lanka strongly supports the Chemical Weapons Convention and was among one of the first countries to ratify it stated Ambassador Gunasekera. She also reiterated Sri Lanka’s longstanding commitment to the full, effective, and non-discriminatory implementation of all provisions of the Convention by all States Parties and urged non-parties to ratify or accede to the Convention without delay.
The National Authority of Sri Lanka continues to take steps to fulfill the country’s obligations, under the Convention. The Ambassador informed the Conference that, at the national level, the National Authority during the course of this year, had successfully conducted an Assistance and Protection Basic Course for 20 first responders from the Tri-Forces, Sri Lanka Police, and Fire Brigade. This program strengthened national capacity to respond effectively to chemical emergencies and reinforced Sri Lanka’s compliance with the CWC. In addition, the National Authority has successfully concluded its 3rd Capacity Building Programme on Chemical Emergency Management for firefighting personnel. Building on these achievements, Sri Lanka is collaborating closely with the OPCW Technical Secretariat to host the “Regional Conference on Advancing CWC Implementing Legislation in Asia” next month in Sri Lanka, and will also organize an OPCW Assistance and Protection Basic Course for the Asian region in 2026, further contributing to regional capacity-building and cooperation under Article X of the Convention.
Sri Lanka signed the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on 14 January 1993 and ratified on 19 August 1994. Its implementing body, located in The Hague, is the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and is comprised of 193 Member States, including Sri Lanka. The 30th session of the Conference of State Parties was held from 24 - 28 November 2025.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
The Hague
05 December 2025
