OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü with members of the Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition at the OPCW Headquarters.
The meeting was held in the Technical Secretariat on 13 April 2011 and brought together 19 NGOs from 14 countries in Africa, Asia, West and East Europe, and the Americas, with participation by interested delegates from six States Parties to the Convention.
Most of the NGO representatives also participated in the 2-day seminar on the OPCW’s Contribution to Security and Non-proliferation of Chemical Weapons.
The opening session of the day-long meeting included expressions of support for the work of the Coalition from OPCW delegations that funded participation in the Seminar and Coalition meeting by NGO representatives from ODA countries. The meeting agenda also included discussion of the Coalition’s 2011 work plan, promoting universality and full implementation of the Convention, and proposals to enhance communication and outreach, inter alia.
OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü addressed the meeting on the future challenges facing the Organisation in implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention and engaged in a lively round table discussion with the participants.
The CWC Coalition was launched in December 2009 in a 2-day meeting of NGOs that was held on the sidelines of the 14th Session of the Conference of the States Parties in The Hague.