The Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Abdullah Al Otaiba and OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands —10 December 2019 — The Government of the United Arab Emirates has contributed €100,000 to a special Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Trust Fund to support the project to upgrade the current OPCW Laboratory and Equipment Store.
This project will result in the construction of a new facility, the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (“ChemTech Centre”).
The contribution was formalised during a ceremony at the OPCW Headquarters between OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, and the Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Abdullah Al Otaiba.
Ambassador Al Otaiba remarked: “The Government of UAE is very pleased to be able to contribute to the ChemTech Centre project, which is crucial for ensuring that the OPCW has the capability to keep abreast of the latest developments in science and technology and new chemical weapons threats.”
Director-General Arias said: “I am most grateful to the UAE for its valuable contribution to the new OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology. The new centre will build on our existing technical and analytical capacity, and take us closer to our goal of achieving a world free of chemical weapons.”
Director-General Arias appealed to all OPCW States Parties in a position to make voluntary contributions to do so. He highlighted that “all contributions, regardless of size, are greatly appreciated and will go a long way to ensuring the success of the ChemTech Centre project”.
So far, twenty-six States Parties and the European Union have contributed or pledged to contribute financially to the project, and a considerable amount has been raised to date.
