This project will result in the construction of a new facility, the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre).
The contribution was formalised by the exchange of letters between OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias, and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the OPCW Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, said the OPCW on Thursday.
Ambassador Belal said, “Bangladesh is happy to be part of this future-oriented project. We would urge all to come forward to make this Laboratory a bastion of ‘never again’ in memory of all the victims of chemical weapons across the world.”
Director-General Arias expressed his gratitude to the government of Bangladesh for its support and appealed to all OPCW States Parties in a position to make voluntary contributions to do so, emphasising that the new ChemTech Centre will be a resource for all States Parties and that “All contributions, regardless of size, are greatly appreciated.”
So far, 15 States Parties and the European Union have contributed or pledged to contribute financially to the project and a considerable amount has already been raised to date, said a press release on Thursday.
The project to build the ChemTech Centre is going on and seeks to strengthen the OPCW’s capabilities to fully address new and emerging chemical weapons threats, as well as to support capacity building in OPCW Member States.
However, the current facility will no longer be fit-for-purpose due to its ageing infrastructure, space constraints, larger workloads, and new missions with new areas of work.
A new facility is required to meet the demands of OPCW States Parties for enhanced verification tools, improved detection capabilities and response measures, as well as increased capacity-building activities.
To date, the following States Parties have contributed or pledged to contribute to the project: Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Spain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America.
Over 96 percent of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor States have been destroyed under OPCW verification.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.