OPCW Associate Programme 2010
OPCW concluded the 11th Associate Programme on 30 September 2010 with a closing ceremony held in the Technical Secretariat. The Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, distributed certificates to 27 participants from as many Member States*, including 14 from Africa. Watch the video of the ceremony.
The 10-week training course promotes the peaceful uses of chemistry by enhancing and improving the skills of qualified chemists and chemical engineers from Member States with developing economies and economies in transition. The programme also increases the talent pool of experienced personnel that National Authorities and the OPCW can draw upon.
In his remarks to the closing ceremony, Director-General Üzümcü called the Associate Programme one of the OPCW’s most valued international cooperation activities. He noted that since its creation the programme has now trained a total of 229 participants from 90 Member States, many of whom are now actively involved in implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention in their home countries. Some 102 chemical companies in 16 Member States of Europe and Asia have enabled participants to benefit from the industry segment over the lifetime of the programme.
The Director-General emphasised the important contribution of the OPCW Member States. On behalf of the OPCW he thanked the Netherlands for its support to the programme from its inception, as well as Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom for their voluntary financial contributions to this year’s programme. He also gratefully acknowledged the support of the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Qatar and Spain, as well as their respective national chemical associations, for their support to the course’s industrial placement segment.
In addition, the Director-General acknowledged the strong support provided by the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) under its “Responsible Care” activities, and from the European Chemicals Agency, World Customs Organisation, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), and the Dutch institutions of the Customs Authority, Port of Rotterdam and Technical University Library at Delft.
*Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Ethiopia, India, Jordan, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.
OPCW NEWS 28/2010 THE HAGUE, 30 SEPTEMBER 2010