The Government of Costa Rica congratulated the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) today, who was awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize for their extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons, particularly in Syria.
The Costa Rican Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the work of the organization “is a message to the world to not only eliminate the use of chemical weapons, but any device or invention that is highly destructive.”
The Deputy Foreign Minister, Gioconda Ubeda, reiterated the call for the universalization of the Chemical Weapons Convention and for all international instruments aimed at banning weapons of mass destruction.
Costa Rica signed the Convention on January 14, 1993, which came into force on April 29, 1997 with the founding of the OPCW.
Today the international community recognizes the OPCW and merits it for the destruction of 80 percent of chemical weapons stockpiles.
A team of 34 experts from the OPCW along with United Nations logistics in Syria have begun to destroy the weapons production facilities, according to the organization.
OPCW data indicates that 16 years after its creation, they have destroyed more than 58,000 tons, equivalent to 81% of chemical weapons in the world.
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