The United Kingdom has allocated 100,000 pounds ($125,000) to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for upgrading the Laboratory and Equipment Store by constructing a new facility, the Centre for Chemistry and Technology, the OPCW said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2020) The United Kingdom has allocated 100,000 Pounds ($125,000) to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for upgrading the Laboratory and Equipment Store by constructing a new facility, the Centre for Chemistry and Technology, the OPCW said on Wednesday.
"The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has contributed a further 100,000 to a special Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Trust Fund to support the project to upgrade the current OPCW Laboratory and Equipment Store. This project will result in the construction of a new facility, the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology ("ChemTech Centre")," the organization said in a press release.
The OPCW added that "the contribution was formalised" during a special ceremony attended by OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias and Peter Wilson, the UK Ambassador to the organization. The ceremony was held in the OPCW headquarters in The Hague.
"I am delighted that the UK is supporting this flagship project of the OPCW for the second year running with a contribution to help fund the project management team," Wilson said, as quoted by the OPCW.
Arias thanked the UK for its contribution and asked all OPCW member states to follow suit. The European Union and 40 OPCW member states have so far allocated funds or made pledges to contribute to the ChemTech Centre project.
According to the organization, the new center will strengthen OPCW capabilities to address chemical weapons threats, as the current facility "will soon no longer be fit-for-purpose" due to out-of-date infrastructure, large workloads and other issues.
