Swiss Diplomat Becomes First Woman To Lead OPCW

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Swiss ambassador Sabrina Dallafior will take the helm of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as global tensions and technological developments threaten to undermine progress in eliminating stockpiles of chemical weapons. This content was published on February 14, 2026 - 10:00 10 minutes

I cover international relations with a focus on Switzerland, lead journalistic investigations, and conduct deeply personal interviews on challenging topics. Over 25 years in journalism. Graduated from Moscow State University's Faculty of Journalism and the French Press Institute in Paris. Former TV/radio host in France and Russia. I am a published author and documentary filmmaker who has interviewed presidents and rock stars.

• More from this aut
• French Departm

After 25 years as a Swiss diplomat, Sabrina Dallafior is taking over as director-general of the OPCWExternal link in July, after more than a decade in which men, women and children from Syria to Ukraine and Britain to Malaysia have been increasingly targeted with often indiscriminate use of deadly toxins.

She will have to deal with risks of proliferation from rogue states and terror groups gaining access to technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence (AI).

That's on top of weakening support for the international agencies that contained conflict after the Second World War as the United States, China and Russia jostle for global influence.

A previous three-year stint as ambassador to the UN-linked Conference on Disarmament in Geneva would provide essential experience for the job, the Swiss government said.

“Her selection from a pool of qualified candidates highlights Ambassador Dallafior's merit, and her recognised expertise in arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation,” Jonas Montani, a foreign ministry spokesperson, told Swissinfo.

External Content What was the chemical weapons agency set up to do?

The OPCW was created in 1997 to oversee implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, adopted in Paris four years earlier. It banned development, production, stockpiling, transfer and use of chemical weapons.

The Convention has been ratified by 193 nations, with only North Korea, Egypt and South Sudan not signing, and Israel signing without ratifying, a requirement for the treaty to become legally binding.

The organisation, while not a United Nations agency, works closely with the UN and conducts round-the-clock inspections at weapons destruction sites, investigates suspected attacks and can send inspectors or experts to any signatory country.

More More Foreign Affairs A сentury of сhemical warfare: why the global ban matters

This content was published on Feb 14, 2026 Using chemical weapons has long been regarded as overstepping the boundary of acceptable warfare. As early as 1675, France and Germany agreed in Strasbourg to ban poisoned bullets.

Read more: A сentury of сhemical warfare: why the global ban ma

MENAFN14022026000210011054ID1110741811