A World Free of Chemical Weapons

International Campaign 2000

The good news is that there is an internationally binding convention to destroy chemical weapons. The bad news is that it is not yet in effect. Tons of chemical weapons are still slowly rotting away, posing a danger for humanity and the environment. The contracts have finally been signed - effective action must now ensue. Green Cross' "Destroy Chemical Weapons Now" Campaign 2000, launched in Bern, Switzerland, on September 21 2000, aims at stimulating just such action.

The mission of Green Cross is the remediation and alleviation of the environmental and social consequences of the misuse and degeneration of the environment. The Green Cross Legacy of Wars Programme addresses the safe and environmentally sound destruction of weapons of the Cold War and the environmental impacts of war. The chemical weapons campaign seeks to contribute towards the goal of ridding the world of weapons of mass destruction by creating the political and public will needed to support the practical implementation of the CWC - with the objective to destroy all land-based CWs by 2015.

In order to remove the threat posed by chemical weapons, nations with existing stockpiles need to generate the necessary, and considerable, funds for responsible destruction, and all nations must be committed to the prohibition of any future production - as was agreed under the Convention.

The strategy of the Green Cross campaign will be to create and enhance awareness on all levels; among the public through a "bottom-up" information and advertising campaign, and within political circles using "top-down" networking and appeals to influential figures. It is necessary to strengthen the political resolve to enforce the Chemical Weapons Convention, and more specifically to generate financial backing needed - particularly for Russia.

Under the management of Green Cross Switzerland, Campaign 2000 has already begun in Switzerland with initial activities to disseminate information and introduce the issue to the public, and to Parliamentarians. The Swiss campaign will form the basis for the internationalisation of the campaign in like-minded - particularly European - countries in the coming years. With a view to spreading the campaign to other nations as soon as possible, Green Cross Switzerland will collaborate closely with Green Cross National Organisations in Russia, the United States and across Europe, as well as with Green Cross International in Geneva.

One method of awareness raising that will be used in the campaign is appealing to parliamentarians - both in Switzerland and internationally - as a means of simultaneously informing the public and politicians of the environmental, human and security risks of chemical weapons. Events such as the State of the World Forum in New York in September 2000 also provide important opportunities to get chemical weapons destruction at the forefront of the international agenda.

To achieve a lasting public consciousness, the dangers posed by chemical weapons must be clearly understood by people in the street. Campaign 2000 will undertake to reach people efficiently and effectively using visual images that can be repeated as a carrying agent and "eye-catcher" for the message of the campaign. The visuals used by the campaign will be related to the mission of Green Cross, i.e. demonstrate the risk to human subjects of having chemical weapons in our environment, and will be developed in Switzerland and later extended throughout Europe.