As he nears the completion of his tenure as OPCW Director-General in late July, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter addressed a special gathering at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague to review the progress made to date in implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention and to share his thoughts and reflections on his tenure as Director-General. An extract of his concluding remarks:
The immense progress we have made and continue to make in consolidating the disarmament and non-proliferation agenda of the OPCW is the result of collective efforts. It is the result of the commitment and support of our States Parties, which have not lost sight of the fact that the chemical weapons ban was hard earned after efforts spanning a century. For that reason, the ultimate challenge for the OPCW is to retain the strong political support and the consensus culture enjoyed so far. This will require the continued goodwill and active commitment of all.
In that context, as the OPCW approaches the completion of the current main task of destroying chemical weapons, it will be quite important not only to redesign a Technical Secretariat suited to much-reduced post-2012 demands in terms of verification, but also to further strengthen public support for the OPCW and its future role(s) in the post-disarmament era.
To conclude, let me say that for me it has been a great privilege to have served as Director-General of the OPCW for the past eight years. I hope that I have fulfilled the mandate entrusted to me. I will leave the organisation with a sense of satisfaction and, indeed, deep gratitude to all those who have extended their wholehearted support to our work, including the Clingendael Institute.
I am sure such excellent relations will continue to mark the OPCW’s relationship with the Institute under the Director-General designate, my good friend Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, who has been elected unanimously on account of his outstanding credentials, to lead the Organisation into the future. He will take office on 25 July 2010 and I commend him to you all.
The full text of the Director-General’s presentation is below.