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Third Exercise on the Delivery of Assistance – ASSISTEX 3

11 October 2010

A key provision of the Chemical Weapons Convention is that all States Parties pledge to provide assistance and protection to fellow States Parties against chemical weapons, as stated under Article X, para 8:  

“Each State Party has the right to request and… to receive assistance and protection against the use or threat of use of chemical weapons if it considers that:
(a) chemical weapons have been used against it; 
(b) riot control agents have been used against it as a method of warfare; or 
(c) it is threatened by actions or activities of any State that are prohibited for States Parties by Article I.”

Accordingly, the OPCW should be prepared to mobilise such assistance and to coordinate its activities with those of relevant national agencies and international organisations. ASSISTEX 3 aims to provide a framework for evaluating the OPCW’s level of preparedness to fulfil this mandate.

The Government of Tunisia will host the exercise and handle all security, safety, and medical arrangements for the exercise; in addition, with the OPCW as co-organiser, it will provide all necessary support required for the exercise. The incoming teams will be met at the point of entry and will be escorted to the site of the exercise by representatives from the host country, which will also facilitate border crossings and customs formalities.

 

Exhibition of CBRNE equipment

The Technical Secretariat of the OPCW would like to invite interested companies to participate in an exhibition of equipment for protection against chemical weapons and toxic industrial which will be held during ASSISTEX 3.

The Government of Tunisia will host the exhibition. The Ministry of Commerce and Handicrafts is in charge of the exhibition organisation and will handle all necessary arrangements with support from the OPCW. Facilities for the exhibition will be provided at no expense for participating companies.

 

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