Co-chairing the opening of this event with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita, Arias expressed his profound "gratitude" to the Kingdom for hosting this "important and timely Conference."

"This is one of the most important events co-organized by the OPCW outside its headquarters in The Hague," he commented, praising Morocco's efforts to host this "world-class conference," with the participation of a large number of prominent experts.

The OPCW DG further noted that this major event, which will "no doubt be a great success" seeks to explore the implications of AI in "our shared mission to eradicate chemical weapons across the globe."

The purpose, he carried on, is to better grasp AI's benefits and risks on the implementation of the Convention, and how the OPCW should respond.

This Conference, which brings together representatives of governments and international organizations, as well as experts and chemical industry players, will provide, in Arias' view, a valuable reference for steering action of the Organization and each State-Party.

Created in 1997 to implement the CWC, the OPCW has achieved many important milestones, Arias pointed out, noting that all chemical weapons declared by States-Parties have been destroyed, under the Organization's rigorous control. 

However, he emphasized, "although we have reached this historic milestone, our work is far from complete."

Run by Morocco in partnership with the OPCW, this first-ever global conference on AI and CWC brings together over 150 foreign participants, including delegates from more than 46 States-Parties to the CWC, alongside international experts from science, industry, civil society and academia arenas.

With 193 member states, the OPCW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its outstanding disarmament efforts. Today, it continues to play a central role in preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons and promoting the peaceful use of chemistry.