The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) welcomed Monday seven inspectors to its staff during a graduation ceremony held at OPCW headquarters in the Hague, Netherlands.
The recruits, who previously worked as chemical production technologists and analytical chemist specialists, are fully qualified to conduct inspections on behalf of OPCW after completing a 10-week training program that began in October. Training consisted of chemical industry verification activities, theory and practical exercises, and simulated inspections.
“The new inspectors are now ready to help implement the organization’s mission of a world permanently free of chemical weapons,” Marcelo Kos, the director of the OPCW Inspectorate Division, said. “This group has shown extraordinary commitment throughout the training process and is ready to tackle the demanding tasks including identification of chemical warfare agents, work in toxic areas and industry verification.”
The OPCW Inspectorate Division deploys teams of inspectors to ensure that states are in full compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention. Teams monitor destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles, perform inspections of chemical industry facilities and help protect against the potential use of chemical weapons.
OPCW verification has led to the destruction of more than 96 percent of declared chemical weapon stockpiles, helping to make the Chemical Weapons Convention one of the most successful disarmament treaties on record.