Chemical Industry and CWC States Parties Meet; Industry Aspects of the Chemical Weapons Ban Discussed

On 11 June 2007, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) hosted a meeting between the States that are party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and representatives of chemical industry associations and the chemical industry.

The Chairman of the Open-ended Working Group for the Preparation of the Second CWC Review Conference, H.E. Ambassador Lyn Parker, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the OPCW, presided over the meeting.

In total, twenty-two Industry Associations and individual chemical concerns were represented, including: American Chemistry Council (ACC), USA; Association of the Czech Chemical Industry, Czech Republic; BASF, Germany; CEFIC, Europe; Chemical Business Association, UK; Chemical Industries Association, UK; Dutch Chemical Industry Association (VNCI), The Netherlands; Fauji Fertiliser Bin Qasim Ltd. (FFBL), Pakistan; Federation of the Belgian Chemical Industries (FEDICHEM), Belgium; FEDERCHIMICA, Italy; Indian Chemical Council, India; International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA); Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters’ Association, Turkey; Korean Chemical Industry Association (KCIA), Republic of Korea; Nalco Europe, Netherlands; Rhodia Services, France; Royal DSM N.V., The Netherlands; Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Co., Saudi Arabia; SGCI Chemie Pharma Schweiz, Switzerland; Union des Industries Chimiques, France; United Phosphorus Limited, India; Verband der Chemischen Industrie e.V. (VCI), Germany.

Representatives of forty CWC States Parties also attended, including: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America.

In his introductory remarks, the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, expressed the Technical Secretariat’s commitment to promoting greater interaction and collaboration with the global chemical industry. The Director-General underscored global chemical industry’s key role in supporting the global chemical weapons ban as a partner in preventing the spread of these weapons. He called upon global chemical industry to actively engage in the preparation of the Second CWC Review, since their contributions will further strengthen the CWC’s non-proliferation regime and retain its deterrent effect over time.

During the meeting, Ambassador Lyn Parker updated the participants on the preparations for the Second Review Conference, which will be held in April 2008. Presentations on the OPCW’s decade-long experience with industry declarations and inspections, as well as on the work of the Scientific Advisory Board since the 2003 Review Conference were also delivered. The meeting closed with a free exchange of views between chemical industry representatives and States Parties.

PR62 / 2007

Categories: Non-proliferation of chemical weapons, Outreach, RC-2