Some members of the 2013 Associates Programme.
The OPCW formally commenced the 14th edition of its annual Associate Programme on 26 July 2013 with an inaugural ceremony at the Technical Secretariat in The Hague. The 9-week curriculum will run until 27 September. The participants represent 31 States Parties* from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Launched in 2000, the Associate Programme helps build the capacity of Member States in the peaceful uses of chemistry. It trains chemists and chemical engineers from industry, universities and government agencies, and promotes a wider understanding of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and work of the OPCW. The programme also facilitates the adoption of best practices in the chemical industry while broadening the pool of qualified human resources for CWC National Authorities and the Technical Secretariat.
In addition to lectures and exercises at the Technical Secretariat and visits to specialised institutions in the Netherlands, the participants attend a 3-week “Chemical Engineering-Oriented Skills Development Course” at the University of Surrey (UK). They will also undertake a 3-week attachment with chemical plants in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Japan, India, Italy, Malaysia, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Spain and Singapore. The attachments provide participants with the necessary skills to operate in the modern chemical industry, with an emphasis placed on chemical safety.
In her remarks to the inaugural ceremony the OPCW Deputy Director-General, Mrs Grace Asirwatham, thanked the above-mentioned Member States for their assistance and commended our other partners for their ongoing support to the programme. These include the World Customs Organization (WCO), European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), European Association of Chemical Distributors (FECC), European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Dutch Customs Authorities, The City and Port of Rotterdam, and TU-Delft.
On completion of the 14th edition, the Associate Programme will have benefited a total of 329 participants from 108 developing and transitional economy Member States. It is today a major international training programme that contributes to the economic and technological development of Member Parties through the peaceful uses of chemistry, as stipulated by Article XI of the CWC.
* Algeria, Argentina, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Spain, Slovakia, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe