OPCW Director-General addresses International Council of Chemical Associations

The Hague, Netherlands —29 October 2018 — The Director-General of the OPCW, H.E. Mr. Fernando Arias, addressed the annual meeting of the Board of Directors of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) about the importance of cooperation between and chemical industry for attaining the goals of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

In the meeting, which took place in Amsterdam on 26 October, the Director-General expressed: “Cooperation between us is vital for the fulfilment of the promise of the Convention — a world free of chemical weapons.” He also highlighted challenges facing the OPCW such as the re-emergence of chemical weapons.  He underscored, “The re-emergence of chemical weapons is a collective threat that can only be dealt with through collective action”.

The ICCA Board members expressed their continuing commitment to work together for the use of chemistry to the benefit of humankind. The ICCA Board of Directors consists of Chief Executive Officers and other top executives of leading chemical manufacturers from around the world. The Board guides the activities of ICCA, whose member associations and manufacturers represent over 90% of global chemical sales.

The Director-General also attended and addressed the annual meeting of the OPCW-ICCA Joint Steering Committee to review progress made in the past year and discuss priorities for the future. The Committee was established through an exchange of letters in 2015 and serves as a mechanism to guide cooperation and joint activities between the OPCW and ICCA.