A training session on “Introduction to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons - OPCW -" was held on Wednesday, August 9 at the Tehran Peace Museum. This half-day, hybrid (in person/virtual) meeting was attended by over 40 participants, with the aim of increasing public awareness about The objectives, structure and performance of the OPCW, as well as familiarization with job opportunities and internship program in this international organization..

 The program started with a video message from the Head of Public Affairs and Spokesperson of the OPCW, Ms. Elizabeth Vaechter who provided brief information about the OPCW, its priorities and the role of civil society in promoting its goals, then Dr. Shahriar Khatari, the former OPCW senior officer, delivered a presentation regarding the history and structure of the OPCW, as well as the use of chemistry in wars and the importance of its peaceful use, followed by a presentation by the representative of the National Authority for the Chemical Weapons Convention -CWC - , Ministry of Foreign Affairs on technical and political aspects of the CWC and its national implementation. Then, Mehrdad Habibi, former OPCW inspector explained about the organization's verification / inspection system and the life of an OPCW inspector and then Ms. M. Jahangiri, a former OPCW intern, spoke about her experience regarding this internship and how to apply for internship in the organization, finally Mr. Hojat Barna, who is currently doing an internship in the OPCW in The Hague provided valuable information about his internship experience in a video.

 At the end, certificates of attendance were presented to the participants.

 To know the next program of this series of meetings in the near future, regularly check the website of the Peace Museum...

The Tehran Peace Museum in line with its education & outreach program has recently started a series of training sessions to introduce peace-related international organizations.

The next event which will be held on Wednesday 09 August (14:00 to 16:00 Tehran time) is dedicated to introduce the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in general and the structure/function of its Technical Secretariat.

The event is intended to raise public awareness about the important role of the OPCW in international peace, disarmament as well as on peaceful use of chemistry.

The main audience of the events are university students, youth activists, journalists and other interested people.

Several volunteer members of the Tehran Peace Museum as well as the survivors of chemical warfare are also among the audience of such events.

The following people are invited to deliver presentations during the upcoming  event:

•    An official of the OPCW Technical Secretariat
•    A former OPCW inspector
•    A former OPCW/ICA staff member
•    A former OPCW intern

The session is open to all interested individuals. To register for the event, click here

Three representatives of the Tehran Peace Museum (TPM) attended the 5^th Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention – CWC – which was held from 15 to 19 May 2023 in the Hague, The Netherlands.

Delegations from 193 States Parties to the conventions as well as representatives of over 50 Non-governmental organizations attended this event which convenes every five years to examine the CWC's operation, it evaluates the Convention's implementation status and sets out priorities for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons -OPCW- for the upcoming years .

TPM which was invited to the conference as a member of the CWC-NGO coalition, hold an exhibition in the margin of the conference on the chronic health effects of exposure to chemical warfare agents. TPM also co-organized a side event on the “victims of chemical weapons, their health needs and rights”.

During the conference, the TPM representatives met with the OPCW officials including the Director General Ambassador Arias to discuss the role of the OPCW in providing assistance to the CW victims as well as on how the NGOs can support the Technical Secretariate of the OPCW in achieving the coals of the convention.

The conference in the Hague was also an opportunity for representatives various NGOs active in the field of CWC, disarmament and related issues to share experience and discuss possible avenues of cooperation in this field.

Come and join us for an experience of how we can use Theatre as a means of communication!

In this 3 hours long hybrid workshop, we will share as a group, explore our senses and enter into dialogue with images that we create with our bodies. We will also learn about the Indian way of working with emotions in Theatre. The methods we will use will be Image Theatre, Games, and Exercises to relate to one another, ourselves, and action and reflection.

Prior experience is not required. 

Please bring yourself and comfortable clothes!

The event aligns with the “Art for Peace” program of the Tehran Peace Museum and is intended to promote a culture of peace among various audiences.

Dr. Birgit Fritz is a theatre pedagogue and drama therapist, she lives in Austria and works internationally with different groups and communities (Basque Country, Germany, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan….). She is also the author of the Theater handbook, called InExActArt. 

For registration, please click here. 

A training session on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) was held at the Tehran Peace Museum (TPM) on Saturday 4 March 2023. The training which was jointly organized by the Tehran Peace Museum and the National Committee for Humanitarian Law was attended by 30 participants, mostly M.sc and Ph.D students of International Law from various universities.

There will be more training sessions and workshops on IHL at the Peace Museum in the coming months.

Tehran Peace Museum wishes you all a peaceful year ahead, full of health, understanding and happiness. 

May you be blessed this new year, with inner peace, prosperity and tranquility!

The OPCW-The Hague Award ceremony was held on Monday, 28 November, 12:15-13:00 CET, on the sidelines of the Twenty-Seventh Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CSP-27).

“The OPCW’s mission to rid the world of chemical weapons is as relevant now as it was then. The Hague congratulates this year’s winners for their dedication to making our world a safer place. Future generations will be grateful,”  said Mr Jan van Zanen, the Mayor of the Municipality of The Hague.  

The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias, and the Mayor of the Municipality of The Hague, Mr Jan van Zanen, present the OPCW-The Hague Award to honour three organisations for outstanding contributions to achieving a world free of chemical weapons:

• Special Risks Brigade of the Federal Police of Argentina;

• Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition, representing more than 150 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from around the globe; and

• Population Protection Institute, Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic.

To watch the 2022 OPCW-The Hague Award Presentation Cermony, Please click here. 

Representative of the Tehran Peace Museum attended the 27th conference of the States Parties (CSP 27) to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)which was held from 28 Nov to 2 Dec 2022 in The Hague, The Netherlands.

In addition to diplomatic delegations from 193 member States to the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons), Several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from around the world participated in the conference including 3 Iranian NGOs.

The CWC NGO coalition organized a number of side events in the margin of the conference including an NGO forum.

During the NGO Forum, a presentation titled “Update of the health status of chemical warfare survivors and their needs” was delivered jointly by Homeyra Karimivahed as representative of the Organisation for Defending Sardasht Victims of Chemical Weapons (ODVCW) and Dr. Shahriar Khateri from Tehran Peace Museum.

A joint statement on the rights and needs of CW victims was also among the 15 joint statements read by NGOs during the conference.

Please click here, to read the joint statement. 

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of International Network of Museums for Peace (INMP), Tehran Peace Museum hosted a hybrid international webinar titled “Narrating Peace in Museums for Peace”.

The webinar was conducted in three parts: 

Introducing the INMP: historical narrative 

Tehran Peace Museum’s narrative 

Present and future of the INMP

Speakers from the UK, Japan, US, Spain, Canada, Sweden, Australia, India and Iran gave speeches in the webinar. 

Various topics were discussed including: 

The next INMP conference in Uppsala, Sweden, Aug. 2023;

Achievements of the INMP over the past 30 years;

Peace museums with new approaches to display peace;

Projects funded by the INMP.

 To watch the the 30th anniversary of the establishment of International Network of Museums for Peace webinar, please click here.

International Day of Peace commemorating ceremony, with the cooperation of Tehran Peace Museum, Iranian Secretariat of Mayors for peace, ICOM Iran, Iranian National Commission of UNESCO, United Nations Office in Iran, Tehran Book Garden, Museum of Friendship, Center of Communication and International Affairs of Tehran Municipality, was held at Tehran Book Garden. 

The opening of the ceremony began after the recitation of the Quran, and then the statement of the UN Secretary-General was read by Ms. Eigner Marie Venez (Head of the United Nations Information Center in Iran) and Mr. Pasha Tabrizian (UN Information Expert). Then Mr. Ahmad Mohit Tabatabai (President of ICOM Iran) gave a speech regarding peace in the history of Iran.

The opening was Followed-up by the video "What is peace?" and then Ms. Pope Mahdavi Nader gave a speech in relation to her project entitled "Walking around the world with the slogan of peace and friendship". Next, the statement of the Iranian Organ Donation Association with the theme "Organ donation, a symbol of peace" was read by Ms. Baran Nikrah (the ambassador of the Iranian Organ Donation Association). Then Ms. Zohra Bahrul Uloomi (origami master) introduced this art The opening ceremony was carried on by the reading Tehran Peace Musem statement by the two active veterans, Mr. Taqipour Moghadam (Director of the TPM) and Mr. Mohammadi.