15th Regional Meeting of National Authorities of Latin America and the Caribbean Held in Chile

The Government of Chile and the OPCW co-hosted the regional meeting in Santiago from 29 to 31 July 2014 with 33 participants from 26 States Parties* and a representative of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The 3-day meeting is an annual event when National Authorities confer, network and share experiences regarding implementation of the Convention, and consult with the OPCW Technical Secretariat on how best to fulfill their obligations and receive required assistance to that end. The meeting also serves as a forum for States Parties to indicate the forms of assistance they can offer to other States Parties, thereby fostering regional cooperation.  

The meeting agenda included, inter alia, recent developments of the Chemical Weapons Convention; Article VI declarations and verification, with a special focus on transfer discrepancies and an update on electronic declarations; break-out group discussions to exchange experiences and best practices for effective implementation; and the OPCW’s international cooperation and assistance programme, in particular its activities to enhance national capacity for implementing national legislation and assistance and protection efforts. 

The meeting considered the priority needs of States Parties in the region and mechanisms for effective cooperation, and emphasized the importance of increasing education and outreach efforts to engage relevant stakeholders. 

* Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela