Participants at a workshop on Training Inspection Escorts for representatives from Angola and Myanmar.
The OPCW, in cooperation with the Government of the United Kingdom conducted a four-day workshop on Training Inspection Escorts for representatives from Angola and Myanmar from 22-25 June, 2015. The workshop comprised a training module held at the OPCW Headquarters in The Hague, followed by a practical mock industry inspection exercise at a chemical plant in Liverpool, UK.
The workshop was part of an ongoing effort on the part of the OPCW Technical Secretariat and States Parties to prepare government, industry, and other relevant stakeholders from Angola and Myanmar to implement the requirements of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) when Angola and Myanmar become States Party to the Convention.
Four representatives each from Angola and Myanmar participated in the Workshop. The key focus of the workshop was on creating awareness with regard to the roles and functions of the National Authority of the CWC, convention-mandated declarations and the verification regime. A team of experts from the Department of Energy and Climate Change headed by Mr. John Foggo, Head, Chemical Weapons Convention National Authority of UK supported the workshop both in The Hague as well as in Liverpool.
The mock industry inspection exercise was conducted at Contract Chemicals, a chemical plant in Liverpool. The mock industry inspection was designed to provide real-world training and to prepare future National Authority officials in Angola and Myanmar to receive OPCW inspections and to develop a clear understanding of the rights and obligations of a State Party during an inspection. Representatives from both countries found the exercise very useful and expressed their appreciation for efforts undertaken by the UK and OPCW for capacity building in their countries.