A meeting was held on 10 February 2011 at the Technical Secretariat in The Hague to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the results of the 28th Proficiency Test for OPCW Designated Laboratories.
The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, welcomed the participants in the test and congratulated them for their work. He stressed that the capabilities of Designated Laboratories represent a significant deterrent against possible breaches of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and are therefore an important confidence-building mechanism that benefits all States Parties.
“In this regard, the role of laboratories around the world in the functioning of what is now a well-honed and unique verification mechanism is of crucial importance,” the Director-General said. “I therefore congratulate you on your important work which is vital to the success of our mission.”
The Director-General also noted that he has visited several Designated Laboratories and been very impressed by the competence of their staff.
OPCW Designated Laboratories are a lynchpin of the Organisation’s verification regime and its capacity to investigate possible violations of the Convention. They must be able to perform off-site analysis of chemical samples collected by OPCW inspectors from chemical production facilities, storage depots and other installations, or from the site of an alleged use of chemical weapons, and provide forensic proof if a violation of the Convention has occurred.
The Proficiency Tests are conducted on a twice yearly basis and are open to all interested laboratories from OPCW Member State. Applicants need to achieve high scores on three consecutive tests to be awarded the status of Designated Laboratory. There are currently 18 OPCW Designated Laboratories in Europe, Asia and the United States of America.