THE HAGUE, Netherlands – 25 July 2023 – The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Government of the Dominican Republic co-organised a training course entitled General Training Course on the Chemical Weapons Convention for the personnel of National Authorities and relevant stakeholders, which took place from 27 to 29 June 2023 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The purpose of the training, delivered in both English and Spanish, was to assist Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) State Parties in complying with their obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) by enhancing their knowledge and skills in implementing the Convention at a national level.
The course focused on topics such as designing and delivering training courses on the CWC obligations at a national level; historical developments leading to the establishment of the Convention; verification regimes and mechanisms for chemicals transfer; international cooperation and assistance programs; developments in science and technology and their implications for the CWC implementation.
The course was intended mainly for new personnel of National Authorities responsible for specific tasks related to the national implementation of the Convention.
The event was attended by 53 participants representing the following 24 OPCW GRULAC Member States: Argentina, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.
Background
Under Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention, Member States “have the right to participate in, the fullest possible exchange of equipment, material and scientific and technological information concerning means of protection against chemical weapons.”
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.
All declared chemical weapons stockpiles were destroyed under OPCW verification. The United States was the last possessor State and completed the destruction of its declared chemical weapons stockpile on 7 July 2023. The OPCW observed the destruction of the chemical weapons stockpiles declared by all State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention and confirmed on 7 July 2023 that all declared chemical weapons stockpiles were verified as irreversibly destroyed.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.