Chemical and biological weapons – Centennial of the Geneva Protocol (June 17, 2025)

Today we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, signed on June 17, 1925. France is the depositary of this Protocol.

On this occasion, as we recall the determination to prevent a repetition of WWI atrocities, France reaffirms its unwavering commitment to strengthening norms against the use of these weapons “that are an affront to the human conscience.”

The Protocol’s primary goal was to establish a taboo against the use of chemical and biological weapons. It was the first step toward a wider ban, with the signing of conventions prohibiting the production, stockpiling and use of these weapons in the late 20th century.

Despite the adoption of the conventions banning chemical and biological weapons, recent experience has shown that this principle, which we believed to be inviolable, could be challenged in actual fact. These weapons were used numerous times over the past decade, both in wartime and against civilians.

Now that a historic opportunity has arisen to destroy what remains of the chemical weapons program developed in Syria under the Assad regime, we applaud the work carried out by OPCW inspectors and stress that it is crucial for nations to remain committed to preventing their use.