Sixth Asian National Authority Meeting held in Bangladesh

The Sixth Regional Meeting of National Authorities of States Parties in Asia was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 4 to 6 November 2008. 43 participants from 22 States Parties attended the meeting.

At the opening ceremony, Mr John Freeman, Deputy Director-General of the OPCW thanked Bangladesh for co-hosting this important meeting and commended it for taking steps towards effective implementation of the provisions of the Convention. He noted that the meeting marked "an important opportunity for the OPCW to join the governments and representatives of Asian States Parties to discuss and share valuable information concerning the role of National Authorities in ensuring the full and effective implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention."

Opening the meeting, Lt. Gen. Md. Abdul Mubeen, Chairman of the Bangladesh National Authority said “Bangladesh was never associated with the production, procurement, or use of chemical or biological weapons and always condemned the use of such weapons of mass destruction against mankind. We support the OPCW's efforts in making the Convention comprehensive, non-discriminatory, verifiable and ultimately a universal instrument for the elimination of chemical weapons from the world. As we prepare for the future, there should not be any negligence or failure on our part to achieve the goals of the Convention”.

The meeting offered a platform for participating National Authorities and the Technical Secretariat to exchange information and experiences on different aspects relating to industry verification. At the meeting, participants exchanged views on enhancing regional and subregional cooperation and identified areas for possible cooperation. Bilateral consultations between participating National Authority representatives and the Technical Secretariat staff on national implementation issues also took place.

Categories: Asia, National implementation, Non-proliferation of chemical weapons