The Government of Cameroon has contributed €30,489.80 to a special Trust Fund of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to support the construction and operation of the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre).
The contribution was formalised at a signing ceremony held between the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cameroon to the OPCW, Ambassador Madeleine Liguemoh Ondoua, and the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias, at the Organisation's Headquarters in The Hague.
"The Government of Cameroon believes in the work of the OPCW and the global effort in achieving a world permanently free of chemical weapons. The new Centre for Chemistry and Technology will play a crucial role in enhancing the capacity of the Technical Secretariat, and Member States towards this effort. Our financial support to the Fund therefore indicates a firm political will to accompany the organisation in its mandate," stated Ambassador Liguemoh Ondoua.
"I express sincere appreciation to the Republic of Cameroon for its voluntary contribution. The ChemTech Centre is an ambitious project with high potential. It will enhance the OPCW's readiness to assist Member States to address an agenda that will remain open forever: the total elimination of chemical weapons," said the OPCW Director-General. "The Centre will be a hub for knowledge sharing and support the global efforts to ensure chemistry is used only for peaceful purposes."
Ambassador Fernando Arias, OPCW Director General and H.E. Mrs Liguemoh Ondoua Madeleine, Permanent Representation of the Republic of Cameroon to the OPCW
Background
The Republic of Cameroon has been an active member of the OPCW since 1997. Cameroon is a member of the OPCW Executive Council, the governing body of the Organisation.
The ChemTech Centre is an important upgrade to the OPCW's research, analytical and capacity building activities. It will serve as a knowledge repository to address chemical threats worldwide, and as a platform for the broader OPCW community to promote expert dialogue, exchange, and collaboration in advancing the peaceful uses of chemistry. The new facility will also help strengthen Member States' capabilities related to verification tools, detection and response in the case of a chemical emergency.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention's entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
Over 99% of all declared chemical weapon stockpiles have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.
