OPCW

OPCW CONFERENCE SUPPORT PROGRAMME

1. The Technical Secretariat (hereinafter the "Secretariat") wishes to inform Member States of the establishment of the OPCW Conference Support Programme, which will come into effect on 15 March 2000, and will supersede all previous forms of support provided by the OPCW for the organisers of and participants at scientific meetings.

2. Subparagraph 2(b) of Article XI of the Convention stipulates that States Parties have the right, inter alia, to participate in the fullest possible exchange of scientific and technical information relating to the development and application of chemistry for purposes not prohibited under the Convention. In accordance with this provision, in 1997 the Secretariat established the Seminars and Symposia Participation Programme, details of which were set out in the Note by the Director-General, C-II/DG.2, dated 17 June 1997. Scientists from developing countries or countries with economies in transition were invited, on an individual basis but through their respective National Authorities, to apply for grants to attend international conferences, seminars or workshops in fields related to peaceful applications of chemistry. The programme was also used to fund scientists from leading academic institutions in Member States to enable them to attend, as resource persons, scientific conferences being held in developing countries.

3. Since its inception, the Seminars and Symposia Participation Programme has sponsored more than 90 scientists to attend international conferences throughout the world. The scientific fields supported under the programme have included the following: natural products chemistry (4), analytical chemistry (5), destruction of toxic materials (1), risk assessment and management with respect to toxic materials (1), environmental chemistry and toxicology (3), treatment of intoxications (1), and topics related to the implementation of the Convention (5). In addition to sponsoring individual scientists, the OPCW has also occasionally supported the organisers of scientific conferences. The ratio of support provided for meetings (administrative costs) to that for individuals was 1 : 45.

4. While administering this programme, the International Cooperation and Assistance (ICA) Division has noted that although individuals have certainly benefited, the impact of the programme on scientific and technological development in the beneficiary countries has been limited or difficult to assess. Furthermore, the programme has tended to suffer from a lack of focus. In contrast, on those occasions when the OPCW has directly supported the organisation of conferences in developing countries, rather than individual scientists, the support provided was much more effective. The Secretariat has therefore decided to refocus and to consolidate its conference support activities, in order to ensure that the maximum benefits accrue to a wider group of scientists in countries with a low gross national product. In the future, instead of providing support to individuals, the OPCW Conference Support Programme will assist institutions or recognised scientific organisations in Member States to organise conferences, seminars or other kinds of meeting on a relevant subject.

5. Scope. Without precluding the possibility of funding for conferences or seminars in other fields of chemistry, the following scientific areas will be considered particularly worthy of support: natural products chemistry, analytical chemistry including environmental analysis, chemical and technological aspects of the destruction of toxic materials, risk assessment and management with respect to toxic chemicals, environmental chemistry and toxicology, prophylaxis and treatment of intoxications.

6. Forms of support. Support under the programme may be provided in any of the following forms:

• travel grants for resource persons, who must be citizens of a State Party, to attend a conference or seminar;
• travel grants for individuals, who must be citizens of a State Party, to attend a conference or seminar, if the organising committee considers that their contributions (e.g. a paper or a poster) are sufficiently important to warrant such support; or
• core grants to cover administrative costs, such as the costs of publishing the proceedings of a conference, photocopying, or the costs of translating the proceedings into one of the official languages of the Organisation.

7. Eligibility. The following institutions and organisations are eligible to apply for support under the Conference Support Programme:

• institutions or recognised scientific organisations in developing or newly industrialising countries, for resource persons and/or participants, or to cover core administrative costs; and
• institutions or recognised scientific organisations in industrialised countries, for resource persons and/or participants who are citizens of, and reside in a developing or a newly industrialising country.

8. Applications. The OPCW will accept applications for support under the programme only from representatives of a conference/seminar organising body in an institution or a recognised and registered scientific organisation in a Member State. Application forms can be obtained from the International Cooperation and Assistance Division, OPCW, Johan de Wittlaan 32, NL-2517 JR The Hague, the Netherlands. Fax: +31-(0)70-306 3535; e-mail: intcoop@opcw.org.

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