Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Dear Colleagues and Participants,
I wish to extend a warm welcome to you all and thank you for your interest.
This side event is dedicated to informing you about CHEMEX AFRICA 2023, one of the major capacity building activities delivered this year in the framework of the OPCW Africa Programme and Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Dear participants,
In July this year, the last declared chemical weapons stockpiles were verified as destroyed, in the United States – a historic moment for the OPCW and the international disarmament community as a whole.
The Organisation is now intensifying its focus on preventing re-emergence and on international cooperation.
In this context, the Secretariat continues to devote special attention to Africa.
The specific needs of the region and the challenges it faces in implementing the CWC require a targeted approach.
Through the OPCW Programme for Africa, the Secretariat offers needs-based and tailor-made capacity building support to African States Parties.
One of the key objectives of the programme consists of reinforcing capacities of African States Parties with respect to chemical emergency responses under Article 10 of the Convention.
“CHEMEX Africa 2023”, the first ever pan-African chemical emergency response exercise, was delivered as part of these efforts.
Through today’s side event, we would like to share key aspects of the exercise with a larger audience.
Dear participants,
CHEMEX was co-organised and hosted by Algeria, in Algiers, from 23 September to 5 October, and funded through a voluntary contribution made by Canada.
Eighty-one (81) first responders from 33 African States Parties took part in CHEMEX, in addition to international supervisors, observers and evaluators.
The exercise consisted of the delivery of a full training cycle on chemical emergency response, which culminated in a simulation of a response operation to a chemical attack by terrorists.
CHEMEX also included an international exhibition of chemical emergency response equipment.
A key feature of CHEMEX was that it was delivered by an instructor Team from the East African Community (EAC).
This team has formed and has been trained since 2016 by the OPCW, in partnership with the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic.
The Director-General and I attended the VIP Day on 3 October and observed a major exercise simulating a coordinated response to a terrorist attack involving a toxic chemical agent.
It was rewarding to see the participants leverage the expertise gained during the CHEMEX training phase to deliver a sound technical response.
Projects such as CHEMEX exemplify the forward-thinking approach the Secretariat applies and develops for capacity-building support to its Member States: a strong focus on developing sustainable capabilities and on facilitating and leveraging south-south cooperation.
This is also a good illustration of our commitment to the effective and efficient use of resources for the delivery of high-impact capacity building and support to Member States that the Secretariat always strives for.
I wish to thank the Government of Algeria for co-organising and hosting this key exercise.
The Secretariat is grateful for the comprehensive organisational and logistical support generously offered by Algeria, which is another example of Algeria’s unwavering commitment to the goals of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
In this context, I am grateful to General Boualem Belhadj and Colonel Lotfi Doumanji, and, through them, the members of the Algerian Inter-ministerial Committee in charge of CWC implementation, for their tireless efforts.
I acknowledge with great appreciation the role played by Her Excellency Ambassador Salima Abdelhak, Permanent Representative of Algeria to the OPCW, and her team here in The Hague, in facilitating Algeria’s contribution to the exercise.
My sincere thanks also go to His Excellency Ambassador Hugh Adsett of Canada, and through him the government of Canada, for generously funding CHEMEX through a voluntary contribution made in the framework of the G7-led Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.
I similarly acknowledge with gratitude the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, and the European Union, for dispatching experts for this important exercise.
The Secretariat continues to follow up with all stakeholders on the excellent results of the exercise and to ensure a lasting impact.
On 9 November 2023, a CHEMEX evaluation meeting was convened by the Secretariat. The meeting allowed stakeholders to take stock of the positive outcome of the exercise and discuss areas for future development in terms of organisational aspects and training content and delivery.
I hope that today’s event, generously supported by Canada, will not only be an opportunity to learn more about CHEMEX Africa, but also to reflect on ways in which we can build on and replicate this success for the benefit of our Member States.
In this context, I am pleased to share with you that the Secretariat plans to organise the second edition of the CHEMEX Africa in 2025. The Secretariat is also envisaging to replicate the exercise for other geographical regions. In doing so, the capabilities offered by the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology will be leveraged to enhance the curriculum and delivery of these future editions.
Dear participants,
Terrorism is a global threat, and global threats require global responses.
In this respect, the Secretariat is convinced that it is in the interest of all States Parties to support events like CHEMEX, as the increased safety and security in one State Party also benefits the safety and security for States Parties everywhere.
In the same vein, the importance of the universality of the Chemical Weapons Convention, as a means to reinforce global security, cannot be overstated.
Similarly, the adoption of national legislation to implement the Convention is crucial for States Parties to protect themselves against the use or the threat of use of chemical weapons, including by non-State actors. It truly is the first line of defence.
I wish therefore to take this opportunity to reiterate the Secretariat’s appeal for the full domestication of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Secretariat stands ready to provide support to Member States, where required, to that end.
In conclusion, I thank you again for your presence and interest and I wish everyone an informative and enjoyable side event.