A joint delegation of municipal officials from The Hague, Geneva and Vienna, joined by representatives from their respective Foreign Ministries responsible for international organisations, visited the OPCW headquarters today as part of a 2-day programme to explore ways to strengthen cooperation among the three cities.
All three cities host large diplomatic communities and international organisations dealing with the disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destructions, such as the UN Office, CTBTO and IAEA in Vienna and the UN Office as well as the Conference on Disarmament and Biological Weapons Convention -Implementation Support Unit in Geneva.
The Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, welcomed the visit as an opportunity to share best practices in dealing with international organisations, and he commended the host country government and The Hague municipality for their positive interaction and cooperation with the OPCW. Among the main issues currently facing the OPCW, he highlighted the need for greater efforts to promote education and outreach and noted the OPCW’s collaborative efforts in this regard with relevant partners in Vienna and Geneva.