The Eighth Associate Programme hosted by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) concluded on 28 September 2007. The ten-week programme was attended by twenty-two participants from the following OPCW Member States: Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Malawi, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Uruguay, Yemen and Zambia.
The training course under the Associate Programme facilitates the application of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in chemical industry. National capacity in the peaceful uses of chemistry is enhanced by improving the skills of qualified chemists and chemical engineers from Member States whose economies are in transition or development. The programme also increases the pool of experienced personnel that National Authorities and the OPCW can call upon in the future.
In his address at the Associate Programme’s closing ceremony, the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, stated that the Associate Programme is one of the most visible programmes being implemented by the OPCW in the area of international cooperation. Director-General Pfirter highlighted that this programme has contributed to the building of skills and capabilities in areas relating to the peaceful uses of chemistry and also created a wider awareness of the need to implement the Convention in its industry-related provisions.
Director-General Pfirter emphasized 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 his gratitude for the voluntary financial contributions received from the Governments of Japan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He also gratefully acknowledged the support of the Governments of Belgium, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as their respective national chemical association, for their support to the course’s industrial training.
Director-General Pfirter 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 under their “Responsible care” policy.
Director-General Pfirter gratefully acknowledged the cooperation extended by individual companies for this programme which included Tessenderlo of Belgium; NesteOil of Finland; Degussa of Germany; Solvay and Polimeri Europa of Italy; Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Asahi Glass of Japan; Neville Chemical Europe of Netherlands; Fertiberia of Spain; AstraZeneca of Sweden; Lonza of Switzerland, and AstraZeneca of the United Kingdom.
Director-General Pfirter also highlighted the support in organising other components of the programme by Dow Benelux; TNO Defence, Security, and Safety; DCMR; AVR Chemie; Deltalinqs; the Netherlands Customs Authority; Technical University Library at Delft in the Netherlands and the World Customs Organisation.
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