The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the OPCW.
The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the OPCW held its 16th session from 4 to 6 April 2011 at the Technical Secretariat in The Hague. The agenda for the 3-day session covered a range of issues, including sampling and analysis, scheduled chemicals, incapacitating chemical agents, novel toxic compounds, production by synthesis, and the convergence of chemistry and biology.
In his opening remarks to the session, Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü noted that the OPCW faces a time of breathtaking advances in science and technology, including the constant research and discovery of new chemical compounds and production methods. These advances offer the global community many benefits but also create risks, and the work of the SAB will help the OPCW respond to these challenges effectively.
A full report on the outcomes of the meeting will be published in May 2011.
The SAB is composed of independent experts who are mandated to assess relevant scientific and technological developments and advise the Director-General on such subjects. The 25 members are eminent scientists from research institutions, universities, chemical industry companies, defence and military organisations with expertise in the particular scientific fields relevant to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.