OPCW

Conference of the States Parties

Sixth Session

C-VI/DEC.4

14 - 19 May 2001

17 May 2001

Agenda Item 11

Original: ENGLISH

(Unofficial electronic version)

DECISION

AUTHENTICATION AND CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE FOR THE

CENTRAL OPCW ANALYTICAL DATABASE AND ON-SITE DATABASES

The Conference of the States Parties,

Recalling that, at its First Session, the Conference of the States Parties (hereinafter the "Conference") adopted the "Procedure for the provisional certification of the Central OPCW Analytical Database" (C-I/DEC.63, dated 22 May 1997);

Recalling also that, following the recommendation of the Executive Council (hereinafter the "Council") at its Fifteenth Session (EC-XV/DEC.4, dated 29 April 1999), the Conference at its Fourth Session adopted a revised version of the document "Certification procedure for the Central OPCW Analytical Database and on-site databases" (C-IV/DEC.11, dated 29 June 1999);

Considering that, as the Netherlands Accreditation Council accredited both the OPCW Laboratory and the organisation of the Central OPCW Analytical Database and the extraction of on-site analytical databases, in accordance with ISO 17025, the authentication and certification of the databases can not be carried out by the same organisational unit;

Considering further that, in the light of the above requirement for the authentication and certification of the databases not to be carried out by the same organisational unit, the validation group at its sixth meeting (S/162/2000, dated 2 February 2000) recommended that the certification procedure for the Central OPCW Analytical Database and on-site databases again be redrafted in order to ensure its compliance with the requirements of the quality system now in place within the Secretariat;

Bearing in mind that the Council, at its Twentieth Session, in decision EC-XX/DEC.5, dated 24 July 2000, recommended that the Conference at its Sixth Session adopt the amended authentication and certification procedure for the Central OPCW Analytical Database and on-site databases, as annexed hereto;

Hereby:

Adopts the authentication and certification procedure for the Central OPCW Analytical Database and on-site databases annexed to this decision; and

Delegates to the Council the authority to amend this procedure in future, should this be required.

Annex: Authentication and certification procedure for the Central OPCW Analytical Database and on-site databases

Annex

AUTHENTICATION AND CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE FOR THE

CENTRAL OPCW ANALYTICAL DATABASE AND ON-SITE DATABASES

  1. The certification of each new version of the Central OPCW Analytical Database will be the result of a series of fully documented tests of the data and processes, along with any guidance provided by the Executive Council, and using the ISO 9001 standard as a guide. The additions to the Central OPCW Analytical Database will have been approved by the Executive Council in accordance with the mechanism proposed in EC-IV/DEC.2, dated 5 September 1997, which was adopted by the Conference of the States Parties at its Second Session (subparagraph 11.2(c) of C-II/8, dated 5 December 1997).

  2. The authentication of each new version of the Central OPCW Analytical Database shall be carried out as follows:

      3. (a) the contents of the four components of the database in terms of chemicals and analytical data shall be indicated in the authentication documents for each technique (IR, MS, NMR, GC); and

      (b) the chairman of the validation group and the coordinators for each analytical technique (IR, MS, NMR, GC) shall sign the authentication documents to authenticate the contents, for each respective technique, of the Central OPCW Analytical Database.

  3. The certification of each new version of the Central OPCW Analytical Database shall be carried out as follows:

      4. (a) the contents of the four components of the database in terms of chemicals and analytical data shall be indicated in the certificates for each technique (IR, MS, NMR, GC); and

      (b) the Quality Assurance Manager (Office of Internal Oversight) shall review the procedure, for each respective technique, for the authentication of each new version of the Central OPCW Analytical Database, and shall sign the certificates.

  4. The on-site analytical databases, including those to be contained in the on-site analytical instrumentation, shall be certified as follows:

      5. (a) data shall be extracted from the Central OPCW Analytical Database in accordance with the appropriate OPCW standard operating procedures (which are available to States Parties upon request) as approved by the Director-General;

      (b) the Head of the OPCW Laboratory shall sign an authentication document, one for each technique (IR, MS, NMR, GC) to be sent on-site, to authenticate the contents of the on-site database in terms of chemicals and analytical data;

      (c) the contents of the on-site database in terms of chemicals and analytical data shall be indicated in the certificates, one for each technique (IR, MS, NMR, GC) to be sent on-site; and

      (d) the Quality Assurance Manager, on behalf of the Director-General, shall review the authentication process and shall sign the certificates.

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