S/351/2003

	OPCW	Technical Secretariat
International Cooperation and Assistance Division
S/351/2003
9 April 2003
ENGLISH only

Note by the TECHNICAL Secretariat

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE ANALYSIS OF CHEMICALS RELATED TO THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION

1. On behalf of the Finnish Institute for Verification of the Chemical Weapons Convention (VERIFIN) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Director-General wishes to invite applications from representatives of laboratories of Member States to attend an international workshop on the analysis of chemicals related to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), to be held at the University of Helsinki, Finland, from 8 to 13 September 2003.

2. The workshop is intended for laboratories that are currently active or plan to become active in the analysis of chemicals related to the CWC, and that are participating or intend to participate in OPCW proficiency testing. It will be organised by VERIFIN with the support of the OPCW Laboratory.

3. The workshop will be conducted in two parts, as indicated below. An outline of the provisional programme is attached as Annex 1.

(a) The first part, which will last two days, will comprise presentations accompanied by a poster session on sample preparation and analysis, and on the identification of chemicals related to the CWC. The presentations will also cover participation in OPCW proficiency testing. The speakers are experts from laboratories that have participated in the OPCW proficiency-testing scheme, and representatives of the OPCW Laboratory.

(b) The second part of the workshop, which can accommodate only a limited number of participants, will be devoted to sample-analysis exercises. An international group of experts will guide these participants through the preparation and analysis of samples and the interpretation of results. For this second part, participants will be selected by the Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”) in consultation with VERIFIN.

4. Applicants are invited to submit presentations and posters on the subjects indicated in Annex 1. Abstracts not exceeding 300 words on these presentations and posters should be sent to Mr Martin Söderström at VERIFIN, whose contact details are given in paragraph 10 below. Abstracts on presentations should indicate how long they will take. Presentations should last 25 minutes or less.

5. The Secretariat expects to be able to sponsor a limited number of participants from Member States whose economies are either developing or in transition. Each application should specify whether sponsorship is a condition of the applicant’s participation. For sponsored participants, the Secretariat will cover the costs of international travel and medical insurance. The Secretariat will also provide a terminal allowance, and a daily subsistence allowance towards accommodation, meals, and incidental expenses. When making the international-travel arrangements for sponsored participants, the Secretariat will seek the most economical options. It will purchase tickets and send either the tickets themselves or prepaid-ticket advice to participants. Any expenses unrelated to the meeting or resulting from changes in travel arrangements that have not been authorised, will not be covered by the Secretariat. Participants who are not sponsored are requested to meet the cost of their own travel, board, and lodging.

6. Information on hotels can be found on the Internet—for example at http://helsinki.hotels-travel.net or www.hotels-helsinki.com. However,
Martin Söderström may also be contacted at VERIFIN with any requests for assistance with hotel reservations.

7. Participants are requested to obtain any necessary visas before travelling to Finland. The OPCW will refund to sponsored participants the costs of their visas, on production of original receipts.

8. All activities during the meeting will be conducted in English. No interpretation services of any kind will be provided. Applicants are therefore expected to have a good command of the English language, both written and oral.

9. Applicants from laboratories in Member States are invited to complete the application form enclosed as Annex 2 to this Note. Applicants must fill out the form completely, making sure to give all details requested. The completed form, together with the recommendation of the National Authority or the Permanent Representation of the applicant’s country, should either be posted to the Director, International Cooperation and Assistance Division, OPCW, Johan de Wittlaan 32, 2517 JR The Hague, the Netherlands, or faxed to +31 (0)70 306 3535. All applications must be received by the Secretariat no later than 16 May 2003. A copy of the application form and of the abstract referred to in paragraph 4 above should also be faxed or sent by mail to Martin Söderström at VERIFIN.

10. Additional information about how to apply and how to request sponsorship may be obtained from the OPCW by using the contact details provided above, by sending an e‑mail message to IntCoopBr@opcw.org, or by telephoning Mr Damian Tonon, International Cooperation Officer, at +31 (0)70 416 3822. Additional information on the workshop may also be obtained from the VERIFIN website at www.verifin.helsinki.fi. Any questions relating to the content of the workshop or to
local arrangements may be addressed to Martin Söderström of VERIFIN by calling him at +358 (0)9 191 50438, by sending a fax to +358 (0)9 191 50437, or by
e-mailing martin.soderstrom@helsinki.fi.

Annexes

Annex 1: Provisional Programme

Annex 2: Application Form

Annex 1

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE ANALYSIS OF CHEMICALS RELATED TO THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION,

Helsinki, finland

8 – 13 september 2003

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

Part 1: General, 8 – 9 September 2003

Overview of the role of sampling and analysis in the context of the CWC

Preparations for testing (quality assurance, accreditation, sample tracking, and so on)

Analytical approaches and strategies

Preparation of samples

Analytical and screening methods (GC, GC-MS, LC-MS, NMR,

GC-IR)

Requirements for reporting

Evaluation process

Acquiring reference data

Part 2: Laboratory exercise, 10 – 13 September 2003

Analytical strategies

Preparation of samples

Analysis of samples

Identification of chemicals

Reporting

Annex 2

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE ANALYSIS OF CHEMICALS RELATED TO THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION

Helsinki, finland

8 – 13 september 2003

APPLICATION FORM

Please submit the completed form no later than 16 May 2003 to The Director, International Cooperation and Assistance Division, either by post to OPCW, Johan de Wittlaan 32,
2517 JR The Hague, the Netherlands, or by fax to +31 (0)70 306 3535.

Please also send a copy of this form to Mr Martin Söderström at VERIFIN, either by post to P.O. Box 55, FIN‑00014, University of Helsinki, Finland, or by fax to +358 (0)9 191 50437.

Please use BLOCK LETTERS.

1. Family name of applicant
2. First name(s)
3. Date of birth
4. Citizenship
5. Gender*	Male Female
6. Passport no.
7. Date of issue	Day Month Year
8. Expiry date	Day Month Year
9. Place of issue
10. Areas of expertise


11. Employer
11. Employer
12. Contact address	Street Street number Postal code City City Country
13. E-mail address

14. Telephone numbers, including country and city codes	Home
	Work
	Mobile
15. Fax numbers, including country and city codes	Home
15. Fax numbers, including country and city codes	Work Work
16. Have you attended a workshop of this kind before?*	Yes No If so, when and where?
17. Are you interested in attending part 2 of the workshop?*	Yes No
18. Do you wish to be sponsored by the OPCW?*	Yes No
19. Is sponsorship a condition of participation?*	Yes No
20. Do you need VERIFIN’s assistance in finding accommodation?*	Yes No
21. Please describe briefly your practical and work experience, making sure to mention the analytical techniques you are familiar with. If you are seeking OPCW sponsorship or are interested in attending part 2 of the workshop, please attach a detailed curriculum vitae.	______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
21. Please list the major items of analytical equipment in your laboratory.	______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Signature of applicant: ____________________ Date: ____________________________

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