OPCW staff member Cristina Rodrigues addressed the Second Advanced Assistance-and-Protection Course in China, which was held from 24 – 28 June 2013.
The Government of the People’s Republic of China and the OPCW jointly organised the second advanced assistance-and-protection course in the Institute of Chemical Defence in Beijing from 24 to 28 June 2013. Twenty experts participated from 17 States Parties* in Africa, Asia, Central/Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
The course covered assistance and protection against chemical weapons under Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention. It provided advanced training in the use of protective equipment and in monitoring, detection and decontamination techniques used in response to attacks with chemical warfare agents, via both tabletop and field exercises.
The participants were from national emergency response agencies that deal with chemical-related incidents, with solid backgrounds in chemistry associated with assistance and protection against chemical weapons. The course facilitated exchange of information and experience among the participants regarding implementation of Article X of the Convention, and provided a forum to discuss future cooperation among participating States Parties.
* Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Georgia, Hungary, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Nigeria, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Zimbabwe