Left to right: Dr Gu Juesheng, Ambassador Abuelgasim Abdelwahid Sheikh Idris, Dr Claude Eon, Dr Ralf Trapp, Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü, Ambassador Noor Farida Ariffin, Ambassador Rolf Ekeus (Chairman), Ambassador Roberto Garcia Moritan, Ambassador Rakesh Sood, Dr Bunro Shiozawa, Ambassador Marcos Castrioto de Azambuja, Ambassador Sergey Batsanov, and Ambassador Eric Javits.
The advisory panel of independent experts on future OPCW priorities that was established in December 2010 by Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü held its second meeting in The Hague on 21 and 22 February 2011.
The panel, chaired by Ambassador Rolf Ekeus of Sweden, held two days of substantive discussions on a range of topics including strategic issues, the current and future international security environment, advances in science and technology, developments in the chemical industry, and current OPCW activities such as verification, international cooperation, assistance and protection, and capacity-building for national implementation.
During the meeting the members of the panel met with the Director-General, and the panel Chairman met with several Permanent Representatives to the OPCW and with staff representatives of the Technical Secretariat.
The advisory panel will convene again in May 2011 and hold its final meeting in June 2011. It will then submit its final report to the Director-General, who will thereafter share the report with OPCW Member States. Many Member States have expressed an interest in the work of the panel and the expectation that its report will assist them in their consideration of issues affecting the evolution of the Organisation.
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The members of the advisory panel were selected by the Director-General for their expertise in the fields of arms control and disarmament, chemical industry, and science and technology. The members are wholly independent and serve on the panel in their personal capacities. The panel comprises the following 14 members from a broad geographical distribution of OPCW Member States:
Ambassador Rolf Ekeus (Sweden) – Chairman, Ambassador Noor Farida Ariffin (Malaysia), Ambassador Marcos Castrioto de Azambuja (Brazil), Ambassador Sergey Batsanov (Russia), Dr Claude Eon (France), Dr Gu Juesheng (China), Ambassador Abuelgasim Abdelwahid Sheikh Idris (Sudan), Ambassador Eric Javits (USA), Dr Patricia Lewis (UK/Ireland), Ambassador Abdul Minty (South Africa), Ambassador Roberto Garcia Moritan (Argentina), Mr Bunro Shiozawa (Japan), Ambassador Rakesh Sood (India), Dr Ralf Trapp (Germany).