H.E. Mr Hyong-chan Choe, Permanent Representative of South Korea to the OPCW, and Ambassador Fernando Arias, Director-General of the OPCW
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—23 January 2024—The Government of the Republic of Korea has voluntarily contributed €63,000 to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Trust Fund for Regional Seminars.
The contribution will be used to fund the 12th annual “Seoul Workshop on the Peaceful Development and Use of Chemistry”, co-organised by the government of the Republic of Korea and the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW. Since its first edition in 2012, the course has continued to support the development of Asian Member States’ capacities in chemical safety and security management and the peaceful use of chemistry.
The voluntary contribution was formalised on 22 January 2024 in a signing ceremony held between the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the OPCW, H.E. Mr. Hyoung-chan Choe, and the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias, at the OPCW’s Headquarters in The Hague.
“Given the greater possibility of misuse of toxic chemicals and threat of chemical terrorism, chemical safety and security is becoming more critical in fully implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention and preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons.” said Ambassador Hyoung-chan Choe.
He added: “In this regard, the Republic of Korea has been making its utmost effort to share its knowledge and best practices for the peaceful development and use of chemistry in the Asian region by co-hosting annual Seoul Workshops with the Technical Secretariat since 2012. With our contribution, we look forward to strengthening regional capacity to ensure safety and security in the chemical industry sector.”
The Director-General stated: “I express my sincere appreciation to the Republic of Korea for its support to these important projects and in general for its active role in the Organisation. The annual Seoul Workshop is a flagship project in fulfilling Article XI of the Convention and furthering peaceful uses of chemistry for Asian Members States. We thank the Republic of Korea for its ongoing contributions to support the Organisation’s critical work to build capacity and the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.”
The Director-General underlined the importance of the new risks and threats derived from recent developments in science and technology such as artificial intelligence. In this sense the Director-General commented that the Secretariat continues to analyse the situation and will keep Member States informed.
Background
The Republic of Korea has been an active member of the OPCW since 1997.
To date, the Republic of Korea has contributed a total of €4,110,000 to the OCPW with a total of €985,500 to the OPCW Trust Fund for Regional Seminars
The Seoul Workshop on Peaceful Development and Use of Chemistry for Member States of the OPCW in the Asian Region is a long-standing course on peaceful use of chemistry funded by the Republic of Korea. The course has continued since its first edition in 2012 to support Asian Member States’ capacities in chemical safety and security management peaceful use of chemistry.
Article XI of the CWC, Economic and Technological Development, provides international cooperation in the field of chemical activities for the economic and technological development of States Parties.
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.
On 7 July 2023, the OPCW verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997 — totalling 72,304 metric tonnes of chemical agents — have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW’s strict verification regime.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.