"The Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare is an occasion to mourn those who have suffered from these inhumane arms and to renew our resolve to eradicate them from our world."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
UNSCOM inspectors take mustard agent samples from l55-mm mustard agent artillery projectiles, which have been wrapped in plastic to minimize contamination (Credit: UN Photo/Shankar Kunhambu)
The Conference of the States Parties at its Tenth Session 
(paragraph 23.3 of C-10/5, dated 11 November 2005) decided that a memorial Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare would be observed on 29 April each year — the date in 1997 on which the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force.
This commemoration will provide an opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, as well as to reaffirm the commitment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons, thereby promoting the goals of peace, security, and multilateralism.