WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ — Ambassador Robert Mikulak, the U.S. Representative to the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) will lead the U.S. delegation at the “Conference on International Cooperation and Chemical Safety and Security” in The Hague on September 12 and 13.
The U.S. delegation will include Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, the Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs, experts from the Department of State’s Chemical Security Engagement Program (CSP), and other U.S. Government and chemical industry representatives. The Department of State is providing financial support for the conference, including funding to allow selected international participants to attend.
Upwards of 200 international participants are expected to attend the conference, organized by the OPCW to commemorate the International Year of Chemistry. The conference will seek to enhance support for the objectives of the Chemical Weapons Convention by focusing on the essential role that it plays in ensuring that chemistry is used exclusively for the good of humankind; this includes the areas of chemical safety, security and international cooperation. Strengthening safety and security at chemical plant sites and in transportation is essential in preventing the misuse and/or unintended release of toxic chemicals.
To broaden its reach to audiences around the world, the conference will be featuring the first-ever live webcast of an OPCW event. The live webcast will cover the opening session in The Hague’s famous Peace Palace, featuring the Nobel Laureate for Chemistry Paul Crutzen, Nancy Jackson, the President of the American Chemical Society, and prominent speakers from academia and industry.
