OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, gave a presentation on 24 February 2009 at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna on the OPCW’s achievement and ongoing challenges.
On 24 February 2009, the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter visited the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria, where he gave a lecture on “The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons: Achievements and Ongoing Challenges.”
Director-General Pfirter provided the audience with an overview of the Chemical Weapons Convention (Convention) and the work of the OPCW. Read the full address. Referring to the comprehensive disarmament and non-proliferation provisions of the Convention he said that “it establishes rights and obligations of far-reaching scope to ensure that chemical weapons are effectively eliminated and never re-emerge”.
In describing the success of the OPCW towards attaining the Convention’s goals, Director-General Pfirter stated that “global, regional and national security are greatly enhanced by multilateral endeavours like the one represented by the OPCW”.
Director-General Pfirter also drew attention to the future challenges facing the OPCW. These include preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons, responding to new developments in science and technology, ensuring full national implementation of the Convention as envisioned in Article VII, achieving universal adherence to the Convention and strengthening the contribution of the Organisation to the international struggle against terrorism potentially involving the use of weapons of mass destruction.
During his visit to Vienna, the Director-General also met with the Political Director of Austria’s Ministry for European and International Affairs, Mr Stefan Lehne, and they exchanged views on matters relating to the work of the OPCW and the status of implementation of the Convention. Mr Lehne reaffirmed to the Director-General the strong support of the Government of Austria for the Convention and for the OPCW.
The Diplomatic Academy of Vienna was originally founded in 1754 as the “Oriental Academy” during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa. The Academy is the oldest secular institution of its kind in the world and it educates young professionals from all continents for international careers in the field of diplomacy, administration and business.