Diplomacy Swiss woman takes on important role in the fight against chemical weapons
The Swiss Ambassador to Finland, Sabrina Dallafior, has been appointed Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This is the first time that this post has been held by a Swiss woman.
27.11.2025, 16:45
SDA
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) supported Sabrina Dallafior's candidacy and welcomes her appointment, according to a press release published on Thursday. Dallafior, who comes from Basel, will take up her new post on July 25, 2026.
Dallafior has been appointed for a four-year term of office. The Swiss national will assume both operational and strategic leadership of the OPCW Technical Secretariat based in The Hague. This supports the member states of the OPCW in implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
Spiez Laboratory as a "leading specialist organization"
The Convention prohibits the development, production, acquisition and use of chemical weapons and covers four core areas, according to the press release: The destruction of all declared chemical weapons and appropriate verification; the provision of assistance and protection against chemical weapons; and the promotion of international cooperation.
The appointment of Ambassador Sabrina Dallafior is "a sign of the high reputation" that Switzerland enjoys thanks to its commitment to the CWC. With the Spiez Laboratory, Switzerland also has a "world-leading specialist organization", which is also part of the OPCW's network of designated laboratories.
Sabrina Dallafior has headed the Swiss embassy in Finland since 2023. She was consul general in Milan from 2019 to 2023 and previously served as Switzerland's permanent representative at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva for four years.
