The 14th Annual Meeting of National Authorities

The Fourteenth Annual Meeting of National Authorities was held at OPCW headquarters in The Hague from 22 to 25 November 2012 with 206 participants from 118 States Parties in attendance representing all regional groups.* Two regional organisations, CARICOM and the African Union, participated in the meeting as well.

In his opening remarks to the meeting [PDF – 32 KB] OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü noted the high level of attendance, which he said signifies the importance the States Parties attach to the annual event. He further noted that this year’s meeting has been extended an extra day to allow more time for participants to interact on a range of relevant topics, including a break-out panel on education, outreach and awareness-raising among stakeholders.  

The NA meeting was structured into breakout groups focussing on six different areas. The informative segment of the meeting brought the participants up to date with latest developments in declarations, inspections and international cooperation and assistance, while regional groups met to discuss ways and means to foster sub-regional and regional cooperation for implementation of the Convention. 

National Authorities are a cornerstone of the Chemical Weapons Convention, responsible for coordinating the comprehensive implementation of its provisions at the national level across all relevant government bodies.

* Africa – 30, Asia – 27, Eastern Europe – 20, Latin America and the Caribbean – 21, Western Europe and other countries – 20