Secretary-General Ban’s message on the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Chemical Warfare

On this annual Day of Remembrance, we pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare. The horrific use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic in 2013 casts a shadow over this year’s commemoration. I cannot forget the deeply shocking images I saw. The use of chemical weapons in Syria was a deplorable offense against humanity. The multinational effort to rid Syria of its chemical weapons programme shows what can be done when the international community comes together. Although there is still more to do, 90 per cent of Syria’s chemical weapons have now been either removed or destroyed.