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Education and Outreach Activities Within the Biological Weapons Convention Education and outreach activities within the biological weapons convention Article (Published Version) Revill, James (2013) Education and outreach activities within the biological weapons convention. OPCW Today, 2 (5). pp. 39-40. ISSN 2213-3690 This version is available from Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/47295/ This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies and may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher’s version. Please see the URL above for details on accessing the published version. Copyright and reuse: Sussex Research Online is a digital repository of the research output of the University. Copyright and all moral rights to the version of the paper presented here belong to the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. To the extent reasonable and practicable, the material made available in SRO has been checked for eligibility before being made available. Copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided that the authors, title and full bibliographic details are credited, a hyperlink and/or URL is given for the original metadata page and the content is not changed in any way. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk NOBEL PEACE PRIZE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH CASE STUDIES The Director-General’s Turning awareness into ongoing Education and outreach put into Lecture support practice Today Volume 2 No. 5 Dec 2013 OPCW www.opcw.org OPCW wins the Nobel Peace Prize ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS OPCW Today OPCW Today Impressum OPCW Today is published twice a year and distributed without charge to readers interested in the OPCW and the peaceful uses of chemistry. Articles and extracts from articles appearing in OPCW Today may be freely used elsewhere provided that the material is reproduced verbatim and acknowledgement of its source is made. However, if the attribution indicates that the author is not an OPCW staff member, permission to republish other than for the use of review must be sought from the author or originating organisation. Views expressed in any signed article appearing in OPCW Today do not necessarily represent those of the OPCW and the OPCW accepts no responsibility for them. OPCW Today is produced by: Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Johan de Wittlaan 32 2517 JR The Hague The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0) 70 416 3000 Fax: +31 (0) 70 416 3044 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.opcw.org Contributors: Djafer Benachour, Daniel Feakes, Aaron Gluck, Onur Güven, Vesa Häkkinen, Jason Harris, Alastair Hay, Ludo Juurlink, Peter Mahaffy, Jean du Preez, Jamie Revill, Chretien Schouteten, Elena Sokova, Rolando Spanevello, Alejandra Suarez, Maria Sultan, Gustavo Zlauvinen Editor: Daniel Feakes Photography: Ken Opprann, Lucie Prazak, Eric Vander Borght Production:OPCW Media and Public Affais Production Assistant: Oluwasesan Falayi Printing: OPCW Reprographic Centre Cover Photos (excluding the picture of the letter) and photos on page 5: © Ken Opprann / Nobel Foundation 2013 OPCW Today Table of Contents • Foreword by the Director-General ..............................................................................4 • The Nobel Peace Prize for 2013 ................................................................................5 • 2013 Nobel Peace Prize Lecture Working Together for a World Free of Chemical Weapons, and Beyond .............6 • Education, Outreach and Awareness-Raising in the Context of the Third CWC Review Conference .......................................................................12 • The Argentine Project on Education and the CWC ...................................................15 • How Codes of Practice Enhance a Chemical Security Culture.................................18 • Images from the Eighteenth Session of the Conference of the States Parties ................................................................................22 • Case Studies ...............................................................................................................23 • Multiple Uses of Chemicals: Choices for Chemists and the Public ...............................23 • Chemistry in Conflict: Spreading the Word to High School Students ...........................24 • Projects in Education and Outreach Relevant to the CWC: A Pilot Activity in Argentina ............................................................................................25 • Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Finnish Research Project on the Verification of Chemical Disarmament .................................................................27 • On Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education .........................................................28 • Chemistry and Ethics in Secondary Education: 25 years of experience with classroom teaching on chemical weapons ........................30 • An Example from Pakistan: SASSI University .......... ......................................... .......... 32 • Case Studies: International Organisations.................................................................34 • Facilitating and Supporting Synergy and Collaboration Between International Organisations ............................................................................................34 • Outreach Through Education for the Entry Into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty .....................................................................36 • Networking for Nuclear Security: The International Nuclear Security Education Network ...........................................................................................37 • Education and Outreach Activities within the Biological Weapons Convention......................................................................................39 OPCW Today Foreword by the Director-General 013 has been a watershed year for the OPCW professors, academic experts and members of National and for the international regime against chemical Authorities. In their contributions, they give practical 2 weapons. Tragically, it saw the first confirmed examples of tools, materials and approaches for raising use of such weapons for over 25 years causing a large awareness about the Convention and for incorporating number of deaths and injuries. As I stated at the time, it into education and outreach programmes. For those “Any use of chemical weapons is abhorrent and stands of us in international organisations, or for most National fully condemned by the international community as Authorities, such ideas should be of great utility as we embodied in the Chemical Weapons Convention and reach out to stakeholder groups beyond those with underlined in its near universal acceptance.” which we are used to interacting. The use of chemical weapons in The range of contributions Syria also set in motion a chain of included in this issue also diplomatic activity which resulted highlights the importance in that country’s accession to of involving a wide range the Convention on 14 October, of stakeholders in the thus becoming our 190th State implementation of the Party. The strong action taken Convention. Many of the actions by the international community necessary to raise awareness in reaction to the use of chemical about the Convention are weapons has presented the those which the OPCW cannot OPCW with the biggest challenge take alone, or for which it in our 16-year history. However, is not suitably equipped or it also presents the opportunity funded. Therefore, activities to demonstrate that effective “The strong action taken by the in- in this field must be based multilateralism and international ternational community in reaction to upon a partnership approach, cooperation can be brought to as demonstrated for example bear on even the most difficult of the use of chemical weapons has pre- by our strong relationship with situations. sented the OPCW with the biggest the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. I was deeply honoured to recently challenge in our 16-year history.” accept the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the I would finally like to reflect that, as a treaty organisation OPCW. The award recognises the “extensive efforts” grounded in science, it is important for us in the OPCW of the OPCW to eliminate chemical weapons. While the to promote the concept of “responsible science”. elimination of Syrian chemical weapons is the current Chemistry is a wonderful science which has done, and and most visible demonstration of these efforts, the real will continue to do much good for humanity. Chemistry success has been the verified destruction of over 80 has a vital role to play in the sustainable development percent of the world’s chemical weapons. Destruction agenda and in our joint efforts to address such global of all the world’s chemical weapons is a goal which is challenges as climate change. However, as with any rapidly coming within our grasp. science, there is the possibility that chemistry may be misused as it has been in the past. All those in This issue of OPCW Today is devoted to education, relevant positions, not only chemists, must be aware outreach and awareness-raising. Clearly, events in of the responsibility to promote the peaceful uses of Syria and the award of the Nobel Peace Prize have chemistry. increased
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