Experts from Bangladesh reinforced their knowledge and developed skills to manage chemical supply chain security during an online workshop delivered today by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The workshop provided baseline information related to chemical supply chain security, security threat and vulnerability assessment, as well as risk management processes. Participants were also presented with information on chemical inventory management and case studies relevant to chemical security management.
The participants also learned about the OPCW Online Self-Assessment Tool (OSAT) which supports a comprehensive review of national protective measures in response to chemical incidents. This will further enable experts from Bangladesh to identify gaps in chemical security and will inform the development of improvement measures or a national action plan to improve safety, security, and emergency response.
Opening the event, Commodore Mohammad Manzur Hossain, Member Secretary of the Bangladesh National Authority for the Chemical Weapons Convention, underlined Bangladesh's appreciation of the OPCW's undertaking to strengthen chemical security in the country, stating: "the fast-growing economy of Bangladesh is enormously linked with chemicals or chemical related installations and industries. This session on Chemical Supply Chain Security Management will definitely increase the existing chemical security of Bangladesh".
The Head of the OPCW's International Cooperation Branch remarked: "this workshop will supply professionals working in the chemical industry, governments, and academia with the knowledge to identify chemical security risks, as well as the actions that stakeholders in Bangladesh can take to reduce these risks."
The workshop was attended by 25 participants from Bangladesh's National Authority, industry, academia, and government laboratories and was funded by contributions from the United States.
Background
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 98% 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.
