A training event focusing on hazardous chemical incident response was recently held for Latin American and Caribbean first responders in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, managed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Part of the Exercise of Assistance and Protection for Latin America and the Caribbean (EXBRALC II 2017), the course served as an addendum to two previous training courses recently held in Uruguay and Argentina.
‘’The exercise was not only comprehensive but also represented a superb opportunity to share our experiences and demonstrate what we have achieved as group of Latin American countries and the Caribbean,’’ Major Victor Ibanez Valencia, a member of the Peruvian Marine Corps, said.
The event also marked the launch of the Regional Center for Assistance and Protection of Chemical Weapons (CAPAQ-BRASIL), which will provide a variety of chemical weapons-related assistance activities for the OPCW within the region.
OPCW serves as the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Entered into force in 1997, the convention represents the most-successful disarmament treaty in history targeting an entire class of weapons. It is the most successful disarmament treaty targeting an entire class of weapons of mass destruction in history.
To date, approximately 95 percent of all chemical weapons stockpiles declares by OPCW’s 192 Member States have been destroyed under the organization’s verification.