The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, just weeks after a deadly gas attack in Syria sparked international condemnation.
The intergovernmental watchdog, which has 189 member states, has implemented the Chemical Weapons Convention since it came into force in 1997, and bans the development, production, stockpiling and use of such arms.
"The conventions and the work of the OPCW have defined the use of chemical weapons as a taboo under international law," the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in Oslo, where it awarded the 8 million krona ($1.2 million) prize. "Recent events in Syria, where chemical weapons have again been put to use, have underlined the need to enhance the efforts to do away with such weapons."