THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 26 October 2017 — The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, met today with the Undersecretary-General for Multilateral Political Affairs, Europe and North America for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, H.E. Mr Fernando Simas Magalhães, at OPCW Headquarters in The Hague.
The Director-General briefed the Undersecretary-General on the progress of the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), OPCW’s activities in the Syrian Arab Republic, and OPCW initiatives to counter the use of chemical weapons by non-State actors. The discussion also focused on OPCW’s efforts to engage with the scientific community in Brazil and the region.
Ambassador Uzumcu expressed his gratitude for Brazil’s support of the OPCW and remarked, “Brazil’s joint activities with the OPCW that are focused, for instance, on developments in science and technology, are essential as the Organisation further focuses on preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons”.
Ambassador Simas Magalhães stated: “OPCW is a model institution in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation. Brazil will continue to work with the Organization in order to achieve a world free of chemical weapons.”
The Director-General thanked the Undersecretary-General for Brazil’s continuing support for the OPCW.
Background
Brazil joined the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1997. Brazil has supported OPCW’s activities, particularly in the areas of capacity building, assistance and protection, international cooperation and verification.
An international workshop on “Innovative Technologies for Chemical Security” was held from 3 to 5 July in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event was organized by the OPCW Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) in cooperation with the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine of the United States of America (NAS), the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and the Brazilian Chemical Society. The workshop provided useful insights into the use of innovative new technological tools for the implementation of the CWC that will inform the SAB’s report on developments in science and technology for the Fourth Review Conference of the CWC in December 2018. Dr Evandro De Souza Nogueirais, is a Brazilian national and member of the OPCW’s Scientific Advisory Board. He is an expert advisor on Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defence and Chemistry Technology issues at the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTIC), and to the Brazilian National Authority.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997 – with its 192 States Parties – it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
Over 96 per cent of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor States have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Prize for Peace.