On behalf of the Government of Qatar and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Director-General is pleased to invite National Authorities and representatives from national chemical industry associations to submit applications to participate in the Fifth Annual Meeting of Representatives of the Chemical Industry and National Authorities of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (hereafter “the Convention”), to be held at the Doha Regional Centre for CBRN1 Training in Doha, Qatar, from 2 to 4 October 2018.
This meeting has been made possible thanks to a voluntary contribution from the Government of Qatar. 2. The event is being organised to enhance engagement with the chemical industry and increase collaboration with National Authorities to support the full and effective implementation of the Convention.
The chemical industry has been recognised as a key stakeholder in the implementation of the Convention. The Third Special Session of the Conference of the States Parties to Review the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (hereinafter “the Third Review Conference”) highlighted the important role that the chemical industry has to play in the implementation of the Convention, and encouraged the Secretariat to continue to strengthen its relations with regional and international chemical industry associations. Engaging the chemical industry in particular was encouraged with regard to the OPCW’s verification activities and activities not prohibited under the Convention, among other aspects.
The Third Review Conference also highlighted the need to provide continued support to National Authorities of States Parties in their efforts to ensure the full and effective implementation of the Convention. Assisting National Authorities to reach out to and collaborate with the chemical industry as a key stakeholder in implementation at the national level has therefore become a priority thematic area for the capacity-building programmes of the Technical Secretariat (hereinafter, “the Secretariat”).
Objectives
- foster collaboration and cooperation between National Authorities and the chemical industry, facilitate the exchange of experience and good practices at the sub-regional, regional, and global levels;
- raise awareness of the specific requirements under relevant provisions of the Convention among representatives of the chemical industry and the National Authorities;
- review current practices and challenges in selected issues concerning the implementation of the Convention for which collaboration between the chemical industry and National Authorities is crucial; and
- further enhance the general capacity of both stakeholders to implement the relevant provisions of the Convention in order to improve the quality and timeliness of the fulfilment of obligations.