Annual Meeting of Representatives of Chemical Industry and National Authorities of State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention

In his welcome address, His Excellency, Major General Staff (Pilot) Nasser Bin Mohammed Al-Ali, said that “the meeting aims to provide an effective platform for interaction between National Authorities and the Chemical Industry within a State as well as across States Parties. Also, it was envisioned that the meeting will contribute to the effective implementation of the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention and contributes to the capacity building in the State Parties.”

Following the opening remarks, a presentation was done by First Lt. Abdulaziz Al-Ahmad on Qatar’s National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons and a presentation from Dr. Saeed Al-Meer regarding Chemical Safety program in  Qatar University Laboratories.  Mr. Pankaj Sharma from OPCW discussed the roles of the National Authority and Industry while Mr. Michael Walls of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) talked about areas of collaborations and cooperation among ICCA, National Industry Associations and OPCW. Ms. Deva Hupaylo, Head, Industry Verification Branch of OPCW talked about CWC Requirements, and Challenges for Implementation of Article VI. Before concluding the first day, the participants were divided into five (5) groups for a workshop regarding effective verification and inspection.

The second day was started with a presentation from Dr. Rohan Perera, Senior International Cooperation Officer form the International Cooperation Branch of OPCW, on Chemical Safety for Sustainable Industrial Development and Chemical Security Management. Ms Deva Hupaylofrom of OPCW discussed about Assistance in the Identification of Declarable Activities including “SIX” Data Transfer, E-learning modules, and Electronic Declarations. Presentations regarding programs in support of the CWC from the National Authorities from China, India, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, Bangladesh, and CICM Malaysia. The second day concluded with a group workshop regarding Chemical Safety and Security.

The third and final day saw the continuation of presentations of National Authorities from Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom and Iraq. The five different groups presented their respective workshop discussions that will be presented to the executive board of OPCW.

The meeting concluded with the awarding of certificates of attendance from His Excellency Brigadier (Air) Hassan Saleh Al-Nesf, Deputy Chairman of Qatar’s National Committee on the Prohibition of Weapons (NPCW).