The OPCW Director General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, visited the United Nations in New York on 12 and 13 October 2010 where he met with UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon and addressed the First Committee of the General Assembly. During his stay in New York, the Director-General also met the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Mr Sergio Duarte and held meetings with States not Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
The meeting with the Secretary General was the first after the Director-General assumed the charge of his post earlier this year. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated the Director-General and reiterated his support for the work of the OPCW.
Director-General Üzümcü briefed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the status of implementation of the CWC. The Secretary-General showed keen interest in the progress being made by the OPCW towards realising the disarmament and non-proliferation objectives of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the future challenges such as attaining its universal acceptance especially in regions with well-known security issues.
In his address to the First Committee, Director-General Üzümcü informed the UN Member States about the progress being made towards eliminating chemical weapons and ensuring their non-proliferation. His overview of the various programmes of the OPCW highlighted the support provided to CWC States Parties to enable them to effectively implement their obligations under the Convention as well as those related to promotion of peaceful uses of chemistry. He underlined the importance of some of these activities to augment the ability of States Parties to effectively use the Convention as a tool to promote security including against possible terrorism involving chemical weapons or toxic chemicals.
In the context of current expectations in the wider field of international security, the Director-General stated that, “as the international community looks forward to opening a new chapter in disarmament and non-proliferation, it can draw lessons and indeed confidence from achievements already made as epitomised in the success of the CWC”.
OPCW NEWS 32/2010