On 22 September 2006, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, attended the Seventh High-Level Meeting with Regional and Other Governmental Organisations, hosted in New York by United Nations Secretary-General, H.E. Mr Kofi Annan.
The focus of this year’s meeting related to proposals for cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations on “How Regional and Other Intergovernmental Organizations Can Help Solve Current and Long-standing Regional Crises: Capacity to Prevent, Respond and Rebuild after Crises”.
Director-General Pfirter in his remarks to the gathering noted the importance of this event as it provides an opportunity for an exchange of views and experience between different organizations in dealing with issues of global significance, including threats to peace and security. These threats call for a rapid and coordinated response at both the national, regional and international levels.
Director-General Pfirter provided an overview of the OPCW’s efforts to contribute to the common goal of a sustainable, peaceful, and secure world through the effective implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entails the complete elimination of chemical weapons by all States, large and small, possessor and non-possessor alike, and to prevent the proliferation of chemical weapons.
PR61 / 2006