The National Authority of South Africa and the OPCW jointly organised a basic course for personnel of National Authorities in Africa who are involved in the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The course was conducted in Tshwane, South Africa from 22 to 26 September 2008 and attended by representatives from 22 States Parties: Algeria, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
The basic course was the first held for the African region and was organised as part of the Programme to Strengthen Cooperation with Africa (“Africa Programme”).
The course covered the history of the development and use of chemical weapons, an overview of the CWC and the OPCW, the rights and obligations of States Parties, the establishment and effective functioning of National Authorities, the declarations and verification regimes of the CWC, the transfer provisions relating to the import and export of Scheduled Chemicals, and the international cooperation and assistance activities of the OPCW including promotion of the peaceful uses of chemistry. The basic course also provided an opportunity for bilateral consultations between the participants and the Technical Secretariat staff.
During the round table discussions, participants exchanged information on the progress their National Authorities have made in implementing the Convention’s obligations and also highlighted the challenges that National Authorities encounter while implementing the CWC. The participants welcomed the establishment of such a course under the Africa Programme, which fosters closer cooperation on a regional and subregional basis in Africa especially for capacity building in National Authorities and for effective implementation of the CWC.