Angola Contributes €25,000 to Future OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology
The Hague, Netherlands – 22 January 2020 – The Government of Angola has contributed €25,000 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 Angola to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Maria Isabel Gomes Godinho de Resende Encoge.
The Director-General expressed: “I thank the Government of Angola for this contribution to the new OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology that will further build the capabilities of our Member States to achieve a world free of chemical weapons.”
Ambassador Gomes Godinho de Resende Encoge stated: “The Angolan Government sees this project as a fundamental pillar in strengthening the OPCW’s capabilities to fully address new and emerging threats posed by chemical weapons. Our contribution highlights Angola’s commitment to contribute to further enhancing the capabilities of the OPCW as the global leader in the efforts to rid the world of chemical weapons.”
Director-General Arias appealed to all OPCW States Parties in a position to make voluntary contributions to do so. He further emphasised the important role the new ChemTech Centre will play in strengthening the OPCW’s ability to address chemical weapon threats and enhance capacity-building activities. He highlighted that “all contributions, regardless of size, are greatly appreciated”.
So far, thirty-four 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. In the past few weeks, as many as twelve States Parties have made a voluntary contribution.
