ICCA addresses OPCW Conference of State Parties
Marco Mensink addressed the OPCW Conference of State Parties in the Hague at the end of November. Speaking in his capacity as Council Secretary of the International Council of Chemical Associations he praised the OPCW for the excellent work it was undertaking, and voiced his appreciation of the positive partnership and cooperation between the two organizations in ensuring that chemicals are not used for prohibited purposes.
Stressing that the creation of a trustful partnership was invaluable for relations between national authorities and industrial players as well as for ICCA and the OPCW secretariat, Marco Mensink highlighted the successful capacity building programme carried out during 2017. 18 chemical plant sites from 15 member states hosted participants for a three week training with a special focus on chemical safety. “For ICCA, chemical safety and security are flipsides of the same coin”, said Mensink.
He closed by stressing his pride and gratitude that ICCA was invited to participate in the discussion of future priorities and closed by assuring the audience of the chemical industry’s continued support for OPCW’s work in implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention fully and effectively, in the spirit of partnership and constructive cooperation.