The Associate Programme is a programme within the Technical Secretariat that is implemented by International Cooperation Branch. The programme is conducted annually for participants from developing countries and those whose economies are in transition. It has been designed with the aim of contributing to the development of chemistry and chemical engineering in Member States, with special emphasis on chemical safety. It provides a valuable opportunity for scientists from developing countries and countries with economies in transition to be exposed to modern practices in the chemical industry.

The objectives of the OPCW Associate Programme are:

1. to facilitate industry-related national implementation of the CWC;
2. to enhance national capacities in Member States by offering training in chemistry/chemical engineering related areas to personnel from industry, university and government;
3. to facilitate trade in these areas through adoption of good practices in chemical industry;
4. to broaden the basis of talent pool related position in National Authorities, institutions and economic of the Member States as well as the Technical Secretariat.

To date, ten editions of the Programme have been attended by qualified personnel from a total of 87 countries. The 2009 edition was attended by 28 trainees, who were from Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Colombia, Cuba, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Jordan, Kenya (2) Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Senegal, Sudan, Suriname, Uganda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. All the trainees had a minimum qualification equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in chemistry/chemical or process engineering and relevant work experience in a university, government agency or industry.

The ten-week programme includes a skills development training component at a well-known university followed by ‘hands on’ industrial experience at modern chemical plants in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). These industries have, as part of their ‘responsible care’ policy, cooperated with the Programme by accepting participants for industrial attachments for three weeks. The companies which have supported the Programme to date are: Bayer Antwerpen, Corn Van Loocke, Degussa Antwerpen, Janssen Pharmaceutica, LANXESS, Polyol, Solvay SA and Tessenderlo Chemie of Belgium; Danisco and LeoPharma of Denmark; Kemira Engineering and Neste Oil of Finland; Arkema, Atofina, Hydro Agri, Clariant, Merck Santé, Veolia and Rodhia of France; BASF, Bayer, CIBA and Degussa of Germany; GNFC Fertilizers, Heubach Colour, Ranbaxy Laboratories, United Phosphorous Limited of India: Aussimont, Bracco, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, EniChem, Polimeri Europa, Solvay Solexis, Syndial, Vinavil and Zchimmer&Schwarz of Italy; Asahi Glass, Asahi Kasei Chemicals, Kyowa Hakko, Mitsui Chemicals, Mitsubishi Chemical, Mitshubishi Gas Chemical Company, Showa Denko, Sumitomo Chemical and Ube Industries of Japan; Akzo Nobel, AVR Chemie, Basell Polyolefins, Brunner Mond, DuPont Nederland, Dow Benelux, DSM, Exxon Mobil, Neville Chemical Europe, LyondellBasell, Lyondell Chemie, Shell Chemicals, Uniqema, Yara Sluiskil of the Netherlands; Yara of Norway; Azoty-Tarnow of Poland; BASF, Bayer Polymers, DuPont Ibérica, Fertiberia, FMC Foret, Repsol YPF and PETRESA of Spain; Akzo Nobel, AstraZeneca and Borealis of Sweden; Clariant, CIBA and Lonza of Switzerland and AstraZeneca of the UK.

The Governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Japan have provided voluntary support for meeting a part of the costs of the programme.