American Chemical Society Contributes $10,000 to Future OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology
The Hague, Netherlands – 5 February 2021 – The American Chemical Society (ACS) has contributed $10,000 to a special Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Trust Fund to support the construction of a new facility, the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (“ChemTech Centre”).
The contribution was formalised on 14 December 2020 through an exchange of letters.
ACS Chief Executive Office, Dr Tom Connelly, stated: “The ethical practice of chemistry is a core value of the American Chemical Society. We are honoured to support the new OPCW ChemTech Centre and its mission to train scientists and policymakers to protect humanity from future chemical weapon threats. The safe practice of chemistry requires collaborations between the public and private sectors and ACS is proud to support the OPCW’s vital role in ensuring a safe global chemistry enterprise.”
The Director-General expressed: “I am deeply grateful to ACS, the first chemical science organisation to support this crucial project. The new Centre will build on our existing technical and analytical capacity and bring us closer to our goal of achieving a world free of chemical weapons.”
Director-General Arias appealed to all OPCW States Parties and other donors 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 to the benefit of all 193 OPCW Member States. He highlighted that “all contributions, regardless of size, are greatly appreciated”.
So far, 45 countries, the European Union, and four other donors have contributed or pledged to contribute financially to the ChemTech Centre project, and a considerable amount has been raised to date.
In the icture Dr. Thomas M. Connelly Jr.
Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer, American Chemical Association. Photography by the America Chemical Association.
