H.E. Mrs Gudrun Lingner, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, Director-General of the OPCW
THE HAGUE, Netherlands–2 December 2020–The Government of Germany has contributed €1M to a special Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Trust Fund for Security and Business Continuity.
This specific funding will allow the OPCW to keep enhancing its digital preparedness from a business continuity perspective thus ensuring the Organisation is well prepared to meet current and future challenges.
The contribution was formalised today during a ceremony between the Permanent Representative of Germany to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Gudrun Lingner, and OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, which was held at OPCW Headquarters in The Hague.
Ambassador Lingner remarked: “Germany has initiated informal consultations among States Parties to facilitate consensus on using virtual meeting modalities for the Policy Making Organs in emergency circumstances. For this purpose, the technological capabilities of the OPCW need to be enhanced. Germany has therefore decided to make a voluntary financial contribution of €1M to the OPCW Trust Fund for Security and Business Continuity. This contribution will allow the OPCW to become even more resilient and ready to meet current and future challenges. For an effective global ban on chemical weapons, we need a robust OPCW.”
The Director-General stated: “This very significant contribution will help the OPCW to upgrade its business continuity capabilities, which have profound implications for the integrity of our operations and are essential for the Organisation’s continued success. I am deeply grateful to the Government of Germany for once again showing its unwavering support to the Organisation and its mission to rid the world of chemical weapons.”
H.E. Mrs Gudrun Lingner, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, Director-General of the OPCW
Background
The Trust Fund for Security and Business Continuity helps the OPCW to enhance its digital resilience to ensure that the Organisation’s people, operations and information are protected effectively. The OPCW has been working to ensure greater resilience for its information systems. This includes investments in modern IT solutions that are secure, resilient, and foster collaboration across the Technical Secretariat. Furthermore, the Trust Fund allows the OPCW to deliver solutions and infrastructure that enable meetings and communication with its Member States when in-person events may not be feasible.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
Over 98% of all declared chemical weapon stockpiles have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.