The National Authority of Ethiopia and the OPCW jointly organised a basic course for personnel of National Authorities in Africa who are involved in the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The course was held in Addis Ababa from 8 to 12 November 2010 and attended by 41 participants from 27 States Parties*.
This year’s Basic Course was the third to be held by the OPCW for the African region and was organised under the auspices of the OPCW Programme to Strengthen Cooperation with Africa (“Africa Programme”). The course aimed to enhance the capacity of participating National Authorities to implement the CWC and to promote closer cooperation between National Authorities at the regional and sub-regional levels.
In his opening remarks to the course, Hon. Tadesse Haile, State Minister for Industry at the Ethiopian Ministry of Industry, stated that “Besides the priority given by OPCW to Africa in supporting and fostering international cooperation in areas of peaceful uses of chemistry, the Organisation is also delivering significant capacity building support in the region in areas of national implementation of the Convention.” He commended the OPCW Technical Secretariat for its support programmes as “directly relevant to our needs and priorities” and stressed that the Basic Course helps to enhance the capacity of member states to implement the Convention.
The course covered the history of the development and use of chemical weapons, an overview of the CWC and the OPCW; the rights and obligations of States Parties, the establishment and effective functioning of National Authorities; the declarations and verification regimes of the CWC; the transfer provisions relating to the import and export of Scheduled Chemicals; and the international cooperation and assistance activities of the OPCW including promotion of the peaceful uses of chemistry.
It also provided an opportunity for bilateral consultations between the participants and Technical Secretariat staff. Participants exchanged information on the progress made by their National Authorities in implementing the Convention’s obligations and on the challenges they confront.
* Algeria, Botswana, Burundi, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia.