10th Annual Meeting of Representatives of Chemical Industry Kicks Off

 

 

Doha, October 24 (QNA) - The activities of the 10th Annual Meeting of Representatives of the Chemical Industry and National Authorities of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention kicked off on Tuesday. It was organized by the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons (NCPW) in cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), through Doha Regional Center for Training on Conventions on Weapons of Mass Destruction, and will continue until Oct. 26.

In this context, Chairman of the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons (NCPW) Brigadier General Dr. Abdulaziz Salmeen Al Jabri said that the meeting, which is one of the fruits of the close cooperation between the OPCW and the State of Qatar to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), provides a unique global forum for States Parties. It brings together representatives of two important pillars on which the optimal implementation of the (CWC) is based: The representatives of national bodies, representatives of the chemical industry sector, with the aim of direct interaction and strengthening the bonds of cooperation between them, to ensure the optimal implementation of Article 6 of the convention, especially related to the verification system.

       He added in his speech during the meeting that since the State of Qatar joined the CWC in 1997, and it has spared no effort in implementing the convention, through its support of the organization’s activities with its voluntary contributions, and its role as a member of the organization’s Executive Council,in addition to its constant pursuit of the universality of the convention, which contributes to strengthening international peace and security.

The NCPW Chairman referred to the contributions of the Doha Regional Center since 2012 in building the capabilities of States Parties and state institutions to prevent the use of chemical weapons, confront the threats of chemical terrorism, encourage the peaceful uses of chemicals, and hosting many national and international events in the areas of awareness, disarmament and non-proliferation.

He explained that the NCPW is working to cover the training areas of Articles 6, 7, 10 and 11 of the Convention, developing international cooperation and knowledge exchange in the chemical field for purposes not prohibited by the Convention, and promoting economic and technological development with all States Parties as one of the basic conditions for achieving the objectives of the Convention, noting that the State of Qatar organized 36 programs in cooperation with the technical secretariat of the organization, where more than 89 countries and international organizations participated in these programs, attended by 850 trainees from the GCC countries, the Arab countries, and representatives of the countries of the five continents, as well as training hundreds of state cadres.

He pointed out that, in fulfillment of the requirements of Article 6 of the Convention, the State of Qatar is hosting this meeting annually starting in 2014, as the total number of participants reached 111 countries and international organizations, in addition to the participation of more than 431 trainees from the GCC countries, the Arab countries and the countries party to the convention. While 50 trainees representing 25 states party to the CWC will participate in this meeting, in addition to experts from the organization, the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), and the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA).

For his part, HE Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Fernando Arias began his speech by expressing his deep appreciation for the State of Qatar hosting this annual meeting, pointing out that the world is becoming more dangerous as a result of increasing regional tension, and is also suffering from fracturing alliances and an increase in illicit proliferation activities for chemical uses in the recent period.

He referred to the growing concern about the possession of chemical weapons in light of scientific and technological progress in this field, stressing the need to understand these challenges and developments through the optimal application of the CWC, as it is one of the most successful conventions, where its goal is to implement a strict verification system with which everyone complies.

OPCW Director-General explained that this year is considered an important year for the organization, as it has achieved significant progress, and this year constitutes a turning point in the history of the organization as it celebrates the 30th anniversary of its founding, in addition to holding the organization's 5th conference last June, during which the countries that destroyed their last chemical weapons were reviewed.

In a related context, he stressed the organization’s determination to intensify its efforts during the coming period and increase international cooperation between States Parties in the field of the use of chemicals, and strengthen the relationship between regulatory bodies and users of chemicals from industrial sectors, in addition to strict implementation of the monitoring system. (QNA)