The OPCW concluded its Ninth Associate Programme on 19 September 2008 with a closing ceremony held in the Technical Secretariat. Twenty-six participants from 24 Member States, including 11 in the African region, completed the programme: Argentina, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Fiji, Ghana, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Serbia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The training course under the Associate Programme promotes the peaceful uses of chemistry by enhancing and improving the skills of qualified chemists and chemical engineers from Member States with developing economies and economies in transition. The programme also increases the talent pool of experienced personnel that National Authorities and the OPCW can draw upon.
Addressing the closing ceremony, the Director-General highlighted the Associate Programme as one of the OPCW’s leading and most popular international cooperation activities. He noted that the programme has contributed to building skills and capabilities in areas related to the peaceful uses of chemistry while also creating wider awareness of the need to implement the industry-related provisions of the Convention.
The Director-General emphasised the important contribution of the OPCW Member States, without whose firm support this unique programme could not be conducted. On behalf of the OPCW he expressed gratitude to the Government of the Netherlands for its support to this programme since inception, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for its voluntary financial contribution as well as the contribution in kind provided by the Government of Japan. The Director-General also gratefully acknowledged the support of the Governments of Denmark, France, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland for industrial placement, as well as their respective national chemical associations, for their support to the course’s industrial attachment segment.
The Director-General expressed his appreciation to the University of Surrey for the excellent job it has been doing in relation to the OPCW Associate Programme and noted the strong support extended by the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) under their Responsible Care policy. He also gratefully acknowledged the cooperation extended by individual companies for this programme including Clariant, SARP Industries, Merck Santé, Arkema, GNFC Fertilizers, Ranbaxy Laboratories, United Phosphorous Limited, Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation, Ube Industries, Brunner Mond, LyondellBasell Industries, Bayer and Danisco.
Finally, the Director-General highlighted the support for other components of the programme from Deltalinqs, the Netherlands Customs Authority, Technical University Library at Delft in the Netherlands, CEFIC, and the World Customs Organisation.