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OPCW | Technical Secretariat | ||
| International Cooperation and Assistance Division | ||||
| S/359/2003 | ||||
| 9 May 2003 | ||||
| ARABIC, ENGLISH, AND FRENCH only | ||||
NOTE BY THE TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT
FIRST REGIONAL MEETING OF NATIONAL AUTHORITIES OF
STATES PARTIES IN AFRICA
KHARTOUM, THE SUDAN
27 – 29 AUGUST 2003
1. In a Note by the Technical Secretariat (S/341/2003, dated 26 February 2003), the Director-General, on behalf of the Government of the Sudan and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), invited representatives of National Authorities to nominate participants to attend the First Meeting of National Authorities of States Parties in Africa, which was to be held in Khartoum, the Sudan, from 19 to 21 April 2003. The Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”) subsequently informed States Parties that that this meeting would be postponed (S/348/2003, dated 31 March 2003). The Secretariat hereby announces that the meeting will now take place from 27 to 29 August 2003.
2. The meeting is designed as a forum for personnel from National Authorities who are involved daily with issues surrounding the national implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (hereinafter “the Convention”). Individuals nominated to participate in the meeting should actually be responsible for the specific tasks of implementing the Convention at the national level.
3. In view of the postponement, the deadline to submit applications to participate has been extended to 31 July 2003. Nominees who have already received acceptance letters from the Secretariat do not need to re-apply, but are requested to inform the Implementation Support Branch of the Secretariat whether they can attend the meeting on the new dates.
4. This meeting has been organised with the aim of fostering cooperation with the OPCW —- an aim expressed by African National Authorities during the Fourth Annual Meeting of National Authorities in October 2002. The meeting will follow the tradition established by similar cooperative efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in Eastern Europe. It is intended to provide a framework within which representatives of National Authorities can review and discuss issues relating to the practical implementation of the Convention under the following thematic clusters:
(a) the role of National Authorities in the implementation of the Convention in individual Member States represented at the meeting: their organisation, their position within the structure of their respective governments, and their rights and responsibilities;
(b) administrative requirements for the successful functioning of a National Authority;
(c) declaration-related issues;
(d) implementing legislation;
(e) assistance and protection against chemical weapons (CWs);
(f) international-cooperation projects in the region; and
(g) implementation-support projects in the region.
5. At a practical level, the meeting is also intended to facilitate the exchange of contact information among representatives of the African and other interested National Authorities, and to foster the creation of personal working relationships among them. These relationships will lead to the creation of a regional network that will support the continued implementation of the Convention, in particular in areas where collective action might be required, such as tracking transfers of scheduled chemicals, developing effective national implementing legislation, assistance and protection against CWs, and procedures for clarification. All participants will be expected to make presentations on each of the following topics:
(a) how their National Authorities are organised;
(b) what implementation legislation is in force in their respective jurisdictions;
(c) what mechanisms are in place to coordinate and enforce implementation of the Convention in their respective jurisdictions; and
(d) any specific problems they have in these areas.
6. In accordance with the recommendation of the Fourth Annual Meeting of National Authorities, the meeting in Khartoum will seek to identify regional priorities and requirements for sustained technical assistance to States Parties in Africa, in order to enable the capacity-building required for the implementation of the Convention and for peaceful uses of chemistry. It will also seek to identify common areas where support for national implementation may be required. Finally, the meeting will provide space for consultations between individual National Authorities and Secretariat officials on implementation issues.
7. The provisional programme of the meeting is contained in Annex 1 to this Note.
8. The Secretariat expects to be able to sponsor the participation of a limited number of representatives of National Authorities. Each nomination should specify whether sponsorship is a condition of the nominee’s participation. For sponsored participants, the Secretariat will cover the costs of travel, meals, and medical insurance, and will provide a limited subsistence allowance to cover sundry expenses. In cases where the Secretariat arranges accommodation for sponsored participants, it will also cover the costs of that accommodation. Sponsored participants who do not intend to use the accommodation provided by the Secretariat are requested to indicate that to the Secretariat as soon as possible, so that it does not incur hotel cancellation fees. 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 the most economical options. The Secretariat will purchase tickets and send them to participants. Participants will be allowed to purchase tickets locally only if this leads to further savings for the Secretariat and if the Secretariat authorises it. In order for the Secretariat to keep costs to a minimum, participants are expected to arrive no earlier than Tuesday, 26 26 August 2003, and to depart no later than Sunday, 31 31 August August 2003. The Secretariat’s agreement is required for any changes to the arrival and departure dates. The Secretariat will not cover expenses unrelated to the meeting or that result from changes in travel arrangements it has not authorised. Sponsored participants shall bear all costs resulting from changes they make, including cancellations, once the Secretariat has purchased tickets. Participants who have not been sponsored are requested to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements, although the Secretariat can, if necessary, arrange accommodation at reduced rates.
9. Participants are requested to obtain any necessary visas (including transit visas) before travelling to the Sudan.
10. All activities during the meeting will be conducted in English, with the possibility of Arabic and French interpretation. When nominating participants, National Authorities are requested to indicate whether interpretation facilities for Arabic or French will be required. All participants are expected to have a good command of one of these languages.
11. Interested National Authorities are invited to complete the nomination form that is included as Annex 2 to this Note, providing all the details it requests so that the Secretariat can communicate directly with the nominees. Completed 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 to +31 (0)70 306 3535, or by e‑mail to ipb@opcw.org. All nominations must be received by the Secretariat no later than 31 July 2003. Please be advised that participants must present an OPCW acceptance letter in order to register at the conference.
12. Additional information about the meeting 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 (English only):
Annex 1: Provisional Programme
Annex 2: Nomination Form