OPCW	Secretariat
International Cooperation and Assistance Division
S/313/2002
16 July 2002
Original: ENGLISH
(Unofficial electronic version)

AN INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING OF NATIONAL AUTHORITIES

The Hague, 4 – 6 October 2002

1. The Technical Secretariat (hereinafter the “Secretariat”) wishes to invite the personnel of National Authorities to participate in the fourth annual meeting of National Authorities, to be held at the OPCW headquarters in The Hague from
4 – 6 October, 2002.  The meeting is designed as a working space for personnel involved in the running of National Authorities who deal on a day to day basis with the issues of the national implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.  Its basic objective is to contribute to increase national capacities to comply with the obligations assumed by States Parties under the Convention. Individuals nominated for participation in the meeting are therefore expected to be actually responsible for the specific tasks of implementing the Convention at the national level.

2. The aims of the meeting are as follows:

(a) to facilitate the exchange of information and experiences as regards the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and to promote cooperation amongst National Authorities;

(b) to identify common implementation problems and to facilitate their resolution through cooperative efforts of States Parties and the Secretariat;

(c) to contribute to greater self-sufficiency of national implementation capacities and;

(d) to promote enhanced awareness of the Assistance and Protection provisions of the Convention.

3. The meeting will consist of three substantive elements:

(a) one-day workshop on the role of  Assistance and Protection provisions of the Convention in its implementation;

(b) information update and exchange of experiences among National Authorities; and

(c) consultations between individual National Authorities and Secretariat officials on implementation issues.

4. The thematic workshop on the first day of the meeting, Friday 4 October is intended to increase the awareness of National Authorities of the importance of the Assistance and Protection provisions of the Convention for the successful implementation of the Convention.  Defined in Article X as one of the rights and obligations of States Parties, Assistance and Protection acquires increased relevance in the post 11 September 2001 world situation.  Under Article X, States Parties have the right to request and receive assistance and protection in the case of use or threat of use of chemical weapons, including the use of chemical weapons by terrorists groups.  The thematic workshop will look at the status of preparations in the Secretariat to deliver effective and timely assistance to States Parties - victims of chemical weapons, as well as at the ways and means to improve State Parties’ compliance with the provisions contained in paragraph 7 of Article X.

5. On the morning of Saturday 5 October the Secretariat will provide an update on the status of implementation of the Convention, including the progress towards its universality, CW destruction, the implementation of the Convention in chemical industry as well as the area of international cooperation and assistance.  The Secretariat will also give an overview of the preparations for the First Review Conference and of the issues on the agenda of the Seventh Session of the Conference of the States Parties. Participants in the meeting will have an opportunity to engage in a general discussion.  In the afternoon of the same day, the personnel of National Authorities will be able to meet in their respective regional groups, to discuss issues relevant to their regions. [1]   Each group will be expected to summarise its discussions during the last session on that day.  It is hoped that the groups will be able to offer recommendations and conclusions that will provide further guidance to the Secretariat concerning the assistance required by States Parties for the implementation of the Convention.  Inputs may also include ways and means of organising and providing such assistance, as well as proposals for further improving both bilateral and regional cooperation among National Authorities and between them and the Secretariat.

6. In recognition of the fact that the simultaneous presence in The Hague of representatives of many National Authorities, in conjunction with the sessions of the Conference of the States Parties, provides a unique opportunity for such representatives to meet with Secretariat officials in order to discuss issues of specific interest to individual States Parties, the morning of Sunday 6 October will be reserved for such bilateral consultations.  National Authorities are therefore requested to provide the Secretariat with an advance notice of the particular national implementation issues they would like to discuss with the Secretariat, so that responsible officials in the Secretariat are appointed for such meetings and the necessary preparation work is conducted. During the meeting, the Secretariat may also invite participants to discuss specific implementation issues on a bilateral basis.

7. Interpretation services will be provided, in accordance with requests as specified in annex 2 to this document, only on Friday 4 October during the thematic workshop on Assistance and Protection, in the morning of Saturday 5 October during the discussion of the status of implementation of the Convention and in the late afternoon of the same day during the review of the discussions that will have taken place in the regional groups.  No interpretation services will be available either on 6 October or for any meetings of regional groups or individual consultations.

8. The Secretariat expects to be able to sponsor a limited number of participants. Nominations should specify whether sponsorship is a precondition for participation.  For sponsored participants, the Secretariat will cover the costs of travel, accommodation and medical insurance.  It will also provide a limited subsistence allowance to cover other related costs such as meals.  The Secretariat will cover the cost of the accommodation only when such accommodation is arranged by it.  Participants who do not need or intend to use the accommodation to be provided by the Secretariat are requested to inform the Secretariat about it as early as possible in order to avoid any cancellation fees.  The daily subsistence allowance will remain unchanged in case participants opt to make their own accommodation arrangements.  In making travel arrangements for the sponsored participants, the Secretariat will use the most economical arrangements possible.  Tickets will be purchased by the Secretariat and sent to participants.  Participants will be allowed to purchase tickets locally only when this leads to further savings to the Secretariat and when this is authorised by the Secretariat in advance.  Any costs due to the changes or cancellations made by participants after the tickets are purchased will have to be borne by the participants.

9. National Authorities are invited to submit the names of their staff nominated to participate in the meeting not later than 26 August 2002 using the form contained in annex 2 of this document.  The completed forms should be returned to the Director, International Cooperation and Assistance Division, OPCW, Johan de Wittlaan 32,
 NL-2517 JR The Hague, the Netherlands.  The forms may also be submitted by fax: +31-(0)70-306 3535, or by  e-mail: ipb@opcw.org.  It is important that all the details requested on the form be provided, and that the form is fully filled in, so that the Secretariat can communicate directly with the nominated participants.  Please be advised that an OPCW acceptance letter is a prerequisite for the registration of the participants sponsored by the Secretariat.

10. Participants requiring an entry visa for the Netherlands are advised to contact the nearest diplomatic mission of the Netherlands as soon as possible.  If additional assistance is required, participants may contact the Protocol Branch of the Secretariat: telephone: +31-(0)70-416 3300; fax: +31-(0)70 -306 3890.

11. Additional information about the meeting may be obtained from the Implementation Support Branch, International Cooperation and Assistance Division, which can be contacted as specified in paragraph 9 above.

Annexes:

Annex 1:  Provisional programme

Annex 2:  Details of participants

Annex 1

fourth annual meeting of National AUTHORITIES

The Hague, 4 – 6 October 2002

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

Annex 2

fourth annual meeting of National Authorities

The Hague, 4 –6 October 2002

DETAILS OF PARTICIPANTS

Please submit the completed form by 26 August 2002 to:

The Director, International Cooperation and Assistance Division, OPCW

Johan de Wittlaan 32, NL-2517 JR The Hague, the Netherlands. Fax: +31-(0)70-306 3535

Please use BLOCK LETTERS – ALL FIELDS OF THE PRESENT FORM SHALL BE FILLED FOR THE APPLICATION TO BE CONSIDERED.

*          Please tick the appropriate dates.  Note that the OPCW will cover the costs of hotel accommodation for sponsored participants only during the meeting of National Authorities (i.e. for the nights of 3, 4, 5 and 6 only).  If you also intend to attend the Seventh Session of the Conference of the States Parties, please tick the dates required (but note carefully that any additional overnight stays will be at your own expense).  As various other seminars/conferences are being held in The Hague during this period, accommodation may be limited.  It is therefore advisable to make reservations as soon as possible.

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