Participants at a Training Workshop in Russian on the Best Practices for Developing the ResponsibleCare Programme for the Chemical Industry
THE HAGUE, The Netherlands — 3 January 2018 — The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) made strides in the promotion of the Responsible Care® Programme in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, during a workshop held at Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia in Moscow on 13-17 November 2017.
The Training Workshop in Russian on the Best Practices for Developing the Responsible Care® Programme for the Chemical Industry – organised for the second time since 2016 – was attended by 15 participants from seven OPCW Member States yet to adopt Responsible Care® principles. The countries included Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
During the week-long event, attendees became versed in the fundamentals of Responsible Care® – the initiative to upgrade chemical companies’ performance in environmental protection, occupational safety and health protection, plant safety, product stewardship and logistics, and to improve dialogue with the public.
The Senior International Cooperation Officer of the OPCW, Mr Sergey Zinoviev, expressed hope that “the workshop will be the catalyst for the adoption of this advanced management system in your countries, generating tangible results in chemical safety culture and, in a wider perspective, helping you to achieve sustainable development goals.”
The workshop included lectures and presentations of case studies of the Responsible Care® Programme implementation in various enterprises. Practical exercises and interactive sessions covered consensus finding for preventing environmental pollution, and strategic planning and decision making for the adoption of the Responsible Care® Programme.
The participants stated their eagerness to promote Responsible Care® Programme in their countries.
The workshop was part of OPCW capacity-building efforts for the peaceful applications of chemistry under Article XI of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Background
Responsible Care® Programme is promoted by the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), as part of the global effort by the International Council of Chemical Industries (ICCA) to foster sound chemical management.
Ninety-six per cent of the world’s largest chemical companies in 65 countries operate according to the Programme’s rules, according to the ICCA 2016 report.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW oversees the global endeavour to permanently and verifiably eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997 – and with its 192 States Parties – it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
Over ninety-six 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.