As announced by Mr Downer, the Australian Government, in collaboration with
the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Royal
Australian Chemical Institute (RACI), hosted a Chemical Weapons Convention
(CWC) Regional Workshop held in Melbourne from 30 April to 3 May 2001. Support
was provided by the Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association (PACIA).
The workshop brought together participants from South East Asia and South
Pacific Island Countries with primary objectives of raising awareness of the
CWC and of fostering international cooperation in the peaceful uses of chemistry
in the region. It is the first such workshop to have been held in the Southern
Hemisphere to be attended by representatives from government, academia and
industry from New Zealand, The Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, the
Marshall Islands and Australia.

The specific themes of the discussions were: international cooperation;
practical implementation issues for industry, including inspections; and protection
assistance and cooperation. Participants also had the opportunity to take
part in a demonstration inspection of a chemical production facility and to
visit Australias declared Protective Purpose Facility under the CWC at the
Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO).

Participants noted the importance they attached to the objectives of the
Convention and the challenges facing their ability to implement it. For many
of the represented countries it was the first opportunity for substantive
CWC discussions with either the OPCW (through its representative at the workshop)
or with regional countries more experienced in the implementation of the Convention.
In this regard, a number of participants requested assistance on CWC implementation
from the OPCW and also from regional countries such as Australia, New Zealand
and Singapore. There was genuine appreciation of help previously provided
by Australia, including for example practical implementation assistance provided
to Vietnam by the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation (ASNO).

The workshop was highly successful with key objectives achieved. Participants
were able to share implementation experiences; to identify areas for enhancing
international cooperation in the region including bilateral CWC implementation
assistance; to develop a network of regional CWC contacts; and to highlight
to the OPCW the unique difficulties found in the South Pacific Region in promoting
universality.

Participants rated the workshop highly and suggested that further CWC-related
meetings be held, Hanoi and Suva being nominated as possible venues.

Organising Committee: Front row (left to right): Josy Meyer (ASNO), Bob
Mathews (DSTO), John Webb (RACI), Magda Bauta (OPCW), Andrew Leask (ASNO),
Roy Jackson (RACI), Geoffrey Shaw (Chair, ASNO), Robert Barnes (RACI). (Photo
courtesy DSTO.)