Highlights

For decades, gain-of-function (GoF) research was a quiet, technical term within virology referring to the modification of organisms to better understand biological processes. In recent years, however, the phrase has exploded into global consciousness, sparking controversy, political division and scientific introspection. At the forefront of this conversation is Professor Simon Wain-Hobson, emeritus professor of Virology […]

Paris, 20 June 2025 – A new FATF report, Complex Proliferation Financing and Sanctions Evasion Schemes, published today, reveals that significant vulnerabilities remain across the global financial system in countering the financing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Despite the grave threat posed by proliferation financing (PF), only 16% of countries assessed by the FATF and its […]

At the start of 2025, nine states – the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Israel – together possessed approximately 12 241 nuclear weapons, of which 9614 were considered to be potentiallyoperationally available. An estimated 3912 of these warheads were deployed with […]

In the current context of global security facing increasingly non-traditional challenges, from international terrorism to threats posed by advanced biotechnology, preventing the proliferation of biological weapons has become one of the top priorities for the international community. Notably, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the potential dangers of biological agents, which can cause severe consequences […]

The nuclear non-proliferation regime that has underpinned international security for more than half a century is on the line. The dramatic events in Iran have become even more serious with last night’s bombardments and the potential widening of the conflict. We have a window of opportunity to return to dialogue and diplomacy. If that window […]

One hundred years ago, in the aftermath of World War I, the international community came together to effectively ban the use of poison gas on the battlefield. The Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare (“the Protocol”), signed on 17 June 1925, was a response […]

The report “The Future of the Chemical Weapons Convention: Recommendations from Civil Society for Challenges in the Next Five Years,” published by the Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition (CWCC) and the Arms Control Association (ACA) in June 2025, marks a significant milestone: the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed the destruction of all […]

A joint FATF-MONEYVAL Plenary meeting hosted at the Council of Europe and chaired by FATF President, Elisa de Anda Madrazo, and MONEYVAL Chair, Nicola Muccioli, concluded today, strengthening global efforts to disrupt criminal activity. The Global Network of over 200 jurisdictions and observers engaged in two days of technical discussions addressing key issues in money […]

THE HAGUE, Netherlands-29 April 2025-The OPCW has partnered with four research institutions selected for the OPCW Artificial Intelligence Research Challenge, an initiative launched in July 2024, funded by the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). The challenge aims to explore AI applications to enhance OPCW’s ability to detect and […]