Attendees at the 2015 edition of The Hague International Day learn how inspection equipment works.
More than 625 members of the public visited the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons yesterday on the occasion of the annual ‘International Day’ sponsored by the Municipality of The Hague.
The Director-General of the OPCW, Ambassador Ahmet Üzumcü, said: “It is a great pleasure to welcome our visitors on The Hague International Day. It is very encouraging to see such a great interest in our work towards a world free of chemical weapons I hope all those who visited us today leave with a better understanding of our Organisation and our contribution to the quest for global peace and security.”
The programme for the day enabled visitors to learn about the history of chemical weapons, and what the OPCW does to destroy all declared chemical weapons stocks to ensure that such weapons do not threaten humanity ever again.
A particular highlight was an interactive presentation with the OPCW inspectors and equipment specialists. Some members of the public donned chemical protection suits and tried their hand at using chemical agent detectors.
Many visitors took part in the OPCW Twitter competition, sharing their comments, observations and photos from the day. Authors of best tweets will receive prizes.