 |
OPCW | Technical Secretariat | |||
| International Cooperation and Assistance Division | |||||
| S/327/2002 | |||||
| 5 December 2002 | |||||
| ENGLISH only | |||||
| Unofficial electronic version | |||||
NOTE BY THE TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT
SECOND REGIONAL MEETING OF NATIONAL AUTHORITIES OF
STATES PARTIES IN EASTERN EUROPE
PRAGUE- ŘEŽ, CZECH REPUBLIC
30 JUNE - 2 JULY 2003
1. 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 representatives of National Authorities to nominate participants to attend the Second Meeting of National Authorities of States Parties in Eastern Europe, which will be held in Prague-Řež, Czech Republic, from 30 June – 2 July 2003. The meeting is designed as a working space for personnel of National Authorities who deal on a day to day basis with the issues of the national implementation of the Chemical Weapons 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. This meeting builds on the results of the First Meeting of National Authorities of States Parties in Eastern Europe which took place in Dunajská Streda, Slovak Republic in April 2002. It is intended to provide a framework within which National Authority representatives can review and discuss issues relating to the practical implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) under the following thematic clusters:
(a) role of the National Authorities in the implementation of CWC in individual States Parties participating in the Meeting: their organisation, position in the government structure, rights and responsibilities;
(b) administrative requirements for the successful functioning of a National Authority;
(c) summary and immediate practical consequences for National Authorities of the conclusions of the First CWC Review Conference; and
(d) implementation support projects in the region.
3. One practical objective of the meeting will be to collect contact data of Eastern European and other interested National Authorities and to establish personal working relationships, leading to the establishment of a regional network in support of the sustained implementation of the CWC, in particular in areas where collective action might be required, such as tracking transfers of scheduled chemicals, development of effective national implementing legislation, assistance and protection against chemical weapons, and procedures for clarification. All participants in the meeting will be expected to make presentations on the organisation of their National Authorities and on the mechanisms for coordinating the implementation of the CWC in their States Parties. Participants will visit the Czech laboratory of the State Institute for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Protection in Příbram.
4. The provisional programme of the meeting is contained in annex 1 to this Note.
5. The Technical Secretariat (hereinafter the “Secretariat”) expects to be able to sponsor the participation of a limited number of representatives of National Authorities. The nominations should specify whether sponsorship is a precondition for the participation of the proposed candidates. For sponsored participants, the Secretariat will cover the costs of travel, accommodation, meals and medical insurance. It will also provide a limited subsistence allowance to cover sundry expenses of the sponsored participants. The Secretariat will cover the cost of accommodation only if it makes these arrangements. Participants who neither need nor intend to use the accommodation provided by the Secretariat are requested to inform the Secretariat as early as possible, so that hotel cancellation fees can be avoided. The daily subsistence allowance will remain unchanged for those participants who opt to make their own accommodation arrangements. When making travel arrangements for sponsored participants, the Secretariat will seek to use the most economic options available. Tickets will be purchased by the Secretariat, and will be 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 changes or cancellations made by participants after the tickets have been purchased shall be borne by the participants. Non-sponsored participants are requested to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements, although, if necessary, the Secretariat can arrange accommodation at reduced rates.
6. Participants are requested to obtain any necessary visas (including transit visas) before travelling to the Czech Republic.
7. All activities during the meeting will be conducted in English. No interpretation services of any kind will be provided. Nominated participants are therefore expected to have a good command of the English language, both written and oral.
8.
Interested National Authorities are invited to submit the nominations of their
representatives to participate in the meeting to the Secretariat, not later
than 3 May 2003, using the nomination form contained in annex 2
to this Note. It is important that all the details requested on the form will
be provided, and that the form is fully filled in, so that the Secretariat
can communicate directly with the proposed candidates. Please be advised that
an OPCW acceptance letter is a prerequisite for the registration of participants.
The completed nomination forms should be addressed to the Director, International
Cooperation and Assistance Division, OPCW,
Johan de Wittlaan 32, 2517 JR The Hague, the Netherlands. Nominations
may also be submitted by fax (+31-(0)-70-306-3535), or by e‑mail
(ipb@opcw.org).
9. Additional information about the workshop may be obtained from the Implementation Support Branch, International Cooperation and Assistance Division. The contact persons are: Ms Katerina Minarikova (+31‑(0)-70-416-3823), and Ms Maria Elena Bruno Pousadela (+31-(0)-70-416‑3825).
Annexes
Annex 1: Provisional programme
Annex 2: Nomination form