On 22 September 2011 Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü hosted an informal retreat attended by Permanent Representatives to the OPCW to discuss the future direction of the Organisation. Over 80 ambassadors attended the day-long event, which was held in the town of Noordwijk close to The Hague.
The retreat followed the submission of a report by an advisory panel that was established by the Director-General in late 2010 to deliberate on future OPCW priorities. The panel, chaired by Ambassador Rolf Ekéus of Sweden, held four meetings before submitting its report in July 2011.
In his opening remarks to the retreat, Director-General Üzümcü said the panel’s forward-looking report “provides a good opportunity to consider key strategic questions that are of common interest to all of us over the longer term.” Ambassador Ekéus emphasised that the report was adopted by consensus by all 14 panel members.
Participating ambassadors commented on the report and asked questions of Ambassador Ekéus, after which the Director-General led a free-flowing discussions on: the full and effective national implementation of the Convention; preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons and the misuse of toxic chemicals; retaining expertise and preparedness to respond to the use, or threat of use, of chemical weapons; and promoting the peaceful uses of chemistry.