On behalf of the Government of the Dominican Republic and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Director-General wishes to invite Member States from the GRULAC1 region to nominate representatives to participate in a regional table-top exercise in chemical emergency response, to take place from 15 to 19 October in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The exercise will be jointly organised by the Government of the Dominican Republic and the Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”) and is aimed at enhancing chemical response preparedness at the regional and sub regional levels in accordance with the recommendations received from the Third Special Session of the Conference of the States Parties to Review the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention regarding the implementation of Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention (hereinafter “the Convention”).
The event will address matters related to coordination in case of a major chemical incident. The exercise will concentrate on operational frameworks such as relevant policies, communication, and information sharing, including operational and procedural issues related to consequence management, so as to ensure effective response and provision of assistance in case of incidents involving toxic chemicals.
The exercise is also aimed at facilitating the exchange of information and fostering networking among the participants representing national institutions, with a view to enhancing the implementation of Article X of the Convention in the GRULAC region as a whole. Applicants should be familiar with response practices and procedures in the event of attacks involving chemical warfare agents and/or incidents with toxic industrial chemicals, in line with the provisions of Article X of the Convention.
Given the objectives of the exercise, candidates will be carefully selected. They should be members of emergency response units from institutions involved in civilian defence. A background in the field of chemistry associated with chemical warfare agents and toxic chemicals is highly desirable. Participants should be physically fit and able to wear individual protective gear during the exercise if necessary.