The OPCW and Government of the People’s Republic of China jointly organised an Advanced Assistance-and-Protection Course from 14 to 18 May 2012 at the Institute of Chemical Defence of the People’s Liberation Army in Beijing. Experts from 19 States Parties* took part in the course, which related to Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The course participants belonged to national emergency-response agencies involved in dealing with chemical-related incidents. The course provided advanced training in the use of chemical protective equipment and in techniques of monitoring, detection and decontamination in response to attacks with chemical warfare agents, supplemented with table-top and field exercises.
Mr Leslie Gumbi, the OPCW Director of International Cooperation and Assistance, addressed the opening session of the course and held bilateral meetings with representatives of the Foreign Affairs and Defence ministries.
* Belarus, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, India, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mongolia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Uganda, Uruguay, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.