Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
OPCW C-20/DEC.10
OPCW C-20/DEC.10
This authority record treats the observance as a fixed annual date. The same month and day can be reused unless a stronger source changes the rule. Public-holiday or government status is never inferred from the observance name alone.
Overview
The Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare is observed on 30 November to honour victims of chemical warfare and reaffirm the international commitment to eliminate chemical weapons.
The observance is closely connected with the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, but remembrance content should focus on victims, international law and disarmament rather than technical details of chemical agents or weaponization.
Why it matters
The day combines remembrance with reinforcement of the global norm against chemical weapons. It can explain the Chemical Weapons Convention, victim support and OPCW verification at a high level.
The current 30 November date has an institutional history: the remembrance day was previously observed on 29 April, the anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention’s 1997 entry into force.
History
In 2005, the OPCW Conference of the States Parties decided that a Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare would be observed on 29 April, the anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention entering into force in 1997.
At its twentieth session in 2015, the Conference separated the two purposes: 29 April became OPCW Day, while the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare was moved to 30 November each year or, when appropriate, the first day of the regular Conference session.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
OPCW Conference of the States Parties
OPCW Conference report C-10/5, paragraph 23.3
Moved the remembrance observance from 29 April to 30 November (or, when appropriate, the first day of the regular Conference session) beginning in 2016; 29 April became OPCW Day.
OPCW Conference of the States Parties · OPCW decision C-20/DEC.10
What the evidence establishes
Verified institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Fields that the reviewed sources do not establish remain fail-closed and are available below without competing with the confirmed record.
4 fields not established in reviewed sources
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
Ways to observe
Hold a victim-centred remembrance activity using reputable historical and institutional sources.
Learn the high-level purpose of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the verification role of the OPCW.
Avoid graphic depictions and do not publish technical information that could facilitate harmful chemical use.
Use current OPCW sources for treaty membership, destruction status and active investigations because these can change.
Useful facts
The current remembrance date is 30 November.
The Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force on 29 April 1997.
The remembrance day was originally observed on 29 April after a 2005 OPCW decision.
In 2015, the OPCW Conference designated 29 April as OPCW Day and moved the victims-remembrance observance to 30 November.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
- Remembrance Civic Context Care.
Evidence & sources
Repeated links from the authority record, institutional provenance and editorial guide research are consolidated here. Badges show how each source is used; a contextual source is never treated as proof of establishment on its own.
OPCW — 29 April 2009 remembrance-day history (opens in a new tab)
OPCW — decision C-20/DEC.10 (opens in a new tab)
OPCW — Tenth Session decision history (opens in a new tab)
OPCW — Twentieth Session outcome separating OPCW Day and Remembrance Day (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — List of International Days and Weeks (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Observances: who chooses them and how (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then use reviewed distinctions and related authority records to understand where this observance fits.
Frequently asked questions
When is Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare?
30 November The stored recurrence guidance is: 30 November.
Does Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare fall on the same date every year?
The authority record classifies it as fixed annual, so its month and day are reusable unless stronger evidence changes the rule.
Is Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: OPCW / United Nations / international observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies OPCW Conference of the States Parties as the proclaiming or establishing body.
Is Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare international or country-specific?
The record has international or global institutional scope: OPCW / United Nations / international observance. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-05.
Has the Day of Remembrance always been on 30 November?
No. It was previously observed on 29 April. In 2015 the OPCW Conference designated 29 April as OPCW Day and moved the victims-remembrance observance to 30 November.
Why was 29 April historically important?
29 April is the anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention entering into force in 1997.
Is this page a source of chemical-agent handling information?
No. It is a remembrance and institutional-history guide, not technical guidance for handling hazardous chemicals or chemical weapons.
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These records also resolve to November 30, 2026 under the current authority data.
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