OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü welcomed Colombian Vice-Minister of Education, Mr. Mauricio Perfetti, to the OCPW Headquarters in The Hague on 14 June, 2011. The Vice-Minister was accompanied by Mr. Julián Guerrero, chargé d’ affaires of the Colombian Embassy.
Discussions focused on the possibility of including information on the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in Colombian university curricula, and within the framework of a much publicized educational campaign in schools across Colombia called Citizenship Competence, which aims to promote peaceful conflict resolution.
“Reaching out to university students is an important part of the OPCW’s public diplomacy effort. Colombia is a State Party in excellent standing and could act as a pioneer in this regard”, the Director-General said.
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The Chemical Weapons Convention is the first and only treaty that is designed to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction under an international inspection regime. Since its entry into force in 1997, the Convention has attracted 188 States Parties representing more than 98% of the world’s population and chemical industry.