The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, visited the Spiez Laboratory in Switzerland on 3 May 2010 where he delivered an opening address to the 8th International Chemical Biological Medical Treatment Symposium.
In his opening remarks Director-General Pfirter praised and thanked the Spiez Laboratory for the role it has played over the years in providing training opportunities for OPCW inspectors and trainings in the context of the assistance and protection provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
The Director-General stressed that the symposium and similar deliberations serve to sustain the focus on the threat of chemical weapons, which may have morphed but has not disappeared. He added that they also allow sharing of vital information on the latest advances in various disciplines relevant to countermeasures, mitigation and casualty care in the event of use of chemical, biological or radiological weapons.
The symposium explored the scientific, medical and policy aspects of CBR warfare and terrorism, considering the effects of CBR agents that are wrongly used or abused on individuals and communities, military as well as civilian, and on the infrastructure of government. The gathering attracted approximately 100 international professionals from around 30 countries representing the chemical industry, governments, science and medicine.
OPCW NEWS 10/2010