THE HAGUE, Netherlands—11 May 2023— The Government of the Republic of Croatia has contributed €10,000 to a special Trust Fund of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to support the operation of the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre).
The contribution was formalised through an exchange of letters between the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia to the OPCW, H.E. Ms Dubravka Plejić Marković, and the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias.
“Croatia is proud to announce its voluntary contribution for the ChemTech Centre project and to join other members of the international community in helping to strengthen technical capacities and scientific expertise of the OPCW. By doing so we will better cope with current and arising challenges which chemical weapons pose,” said Ambassador Plejić Marković.
“I express my sincere appreciation to Croatia for this voluntary contribution. The ChemTech Centre will strengthen OPCW’s capabilities to keep pace with scientific and technological developments and ensure the successful implementation of the Convention,” said the Director-General.
“The ChemTech Centre will be an essential tool to embody the OPCW’s vision of a world free of chemical weapons,” he added.
Background
The ChemTech Centre is an important upgrade to the OPCW’s research, analytical and capacity building activities. It will serve as a knowledge repository to address chemical threats worldwide, and as a platform for the broader OPCW community to promote expert dialogue, exchange, and collaboration in advancing the peaceful and safe uses of chemistry.
The new facility will also help strengthen Member States’ capabilities related to verification tools, detection and response in the case of a chemical emergency.
The ChemTech Centre is located within the Heron Business Park in Pijnacker-Nootdorp, outside The Hague, close to the OPCW Headquarters.
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 99% 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.