Calendar
Call for Nominations for an Advanced Training Course in Civil Defence Against Chemical Weapons
On behalf of the Government of the Czech Republic and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Director-General wishes to invite Member States to nominate participants for an advanced training course on civil defence again...
Course on the Analysis of Chemicals Related to the Chemical Weapons Convention in the Framework of OPCW Proficiency Testing
The Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”) of the OPCW wishes to invite applications from representatives of laboratories in Member States in the Latin America and the Caribbean region to attend a course on the analysis of chemicals re...
Invitation to Apply for an Analytical Skills Development Course in Helsinki, Finland
The Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”) of the OPCW wishes to inform Member States that it will hold a course on the development of analytical skills in 2012. The course is scheduled to be held at the Finnish Institute for Verific...
Call for Nominations for the Eighth International Basic Course on Assistance and Protection
The Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Government of Serbia wish to invite Member States to nominate candidates for an assistance-and-protection training co...
Call for Nominations for a Basic Training Course for Representatives of National Authorities Involved in the National Implement
The Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”) is pleased to announce that it is organising a basic course for personnel of National Authorities involved in the national implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (hereinafter “the C...
Call for Nominations for the Thirteenth Regional Meeting of National Authorities of States Parties in Latin America and the Cari
On behalf of the Government of Costa Rica and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Director-General wishes to invite National Authorities to nominate staff to attend the Thirteenth Regional Meeting of National Authorit...
Call for Nominations for the Eighth Regional Assistance-and-Protection Course for Asian States Parties
On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Director-General wishes to invite States Parties in Asia to nominate representatives to participate in the Eighth Regional A...
Call for Nominations for the Swiss Basic Course V
On behalf of the Government of Switzerland and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Director-General wishes to invite States Parties to nominate participants for a training course on protection against chemical weapons...
Call for Nominations for the Tenth Regional Meeting of National Authorities of States Parties in Asia
On behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Director-General wishes to invite National Authorities to nominate staff to attend the Tenth Regional Meeting of National Authorities of...
Invitation to Apply for a Natural Products Chemistry Training and Development Programme
The Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”) of the OPCW wishes to inform Member States that it will hold a natural products chemistry training and development programme in 2012. This is a pilot initiative and will receive funding suppor...
Special Announcement:
2011 Summer Programme to Link with International Conference on “Nuclear Dilemmas”
View the Programme [PDF]
Developed by the T.M.C. Asser Instituut in partnership with the OPCW, this weeklong summer programme in The Hague aims to provide broad-based understanding of international WMD treaties for young professionals and advanced graduate students aspiring to careers in disarmament and non-proliferation. The inter-disciplinary course content is delivered by specialized academics from institutes in the Netherlands and abroad, together with experienced senior officials from the BWC Implementation Support Unit, CTBTO, IAEA, OPCW, and UN Office for Disarmament Affairs.
First year programme
The programme was launched in 2010 with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and the U.S. delegation to the OPCW. In its first year the programme attracted 29 participants from 19 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, East/West Europe and the Middle East, representing a diversity of backgrounds - foreign ministries, national regulatory bodies, port authorities, parliaments, think tanks, NGOs, universities and the media. Following are highlights from the participants’ evaluation of the first-year programme:
“Such a wide and comprehensive treatment of WMD’s should add to anyone’s knowledge regardless of your starting point. I think that the largest benefit of the course comes in the exposure that participants gain on the different areas of WMD disarmament, as well as the networking opportunities that come with it.”
“I have some experience in the nuclear field but before attending this course I had only a generic notion of chemical/biological. This course helped to broaden my knowledge of the entire WMD spectrum, as well as to address key issues relating to nuclear.”
“The lecturers were picked from diverse fields and organizations, which gave an excellent overview on the issues and challenges within the field of disarmament and non-proliferation. I was very satisfied.”
“This course deals with information that is not available in any university’s curriculum- it provides a good overview of the matter and a unique chance to meet people who deal with it at high levels in their daily work, thus giving insights from the active decision-makers working in the field.”
“I can and will surely apply this knowledge in my daily work as it has truly broadened
the horizon of my knowledge in all the given topics. Furthermore, interaction with people directly associated with policies and implementation was a great learning experience itself.”
“It is an excellent program, especially the interaction with international bureaucracy in the field of WMD non-proliferation and disarmament. Excellent international exposure. Surely I will recommend it.”
2011 programme
Participants also offered a range of useful suggestions in the first-year evaluation to strengthen the agenda, many of which have been incorporated into the 2011 programme. They include:
Field trips
The programme will organise half-day visits to four facilities in The Hague region that are engaged in the core spheres of activity covered by the programme: nuclear, biological, chemical, and CBRN counter-terrorism. Two trips will be scheduled in the morning and two in the afternoon, and participants may choose one from each group depending upon their interest and availability of seats.
Programme materials
A complete set of preparatory reading materials covering the core spheres (nuclear, biological, chemical, CBRN counter-terrorism) will be provided to participants in advance in order to maximise the value of face-to-face interaction during the programme in The Hague. A complete set of course presentations will be provided to participants after the programme.
New training centre
The classroom elements of the programme will take place in a newly renovated and well-equipped training centre at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut that will also allow us to expand the programme to accommodate 50 participants.
Programme Organisers
T.M.C. Asser Instituut
Located in the heart of the international justice community, the T.M.C. Asser Instituut organizes Summer School programmes in close collaboration with a variety of partners, such as the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, the War Crimes Research Office of American University’s Washington College of Law, and the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights of Utrecht University.
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Established in 1997, the OPCW is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The OPCW aims to eliminate all existing chemical weapons in a safe and verifiable manner, and to ensure that new weapons do not emerge by closely monitoring global production and trade of toxic chemicals. An independent, autonomous international organisation with a working relationship with the United Nations, the OPCW already counts 188 States Parties as members representing more than 98% of the world’s population and chemical industry.
Registration
For registration and to download the brochure, please visit:
www.asser.nl/wmd
2010 Alumni
The first-year programme benefitted from an extremely dynamic and enthusiastic group of participants who are eager to help promote the programme and have created platforms on Facebook and LinkedIn to stay in touch. If you are interested to contact the group members to hear more about their own experience and perspectives you can do so through the following links:
