Education and engagement: Key elements to achieve and maintain a world free of chemical weapons

Abstract

Education and outreach are long term strategic tools for the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) that actively promote the peaceful use of chemistry. Thousands of new chemicals are reported every day; which can render enormous benefits for the common good. However, as with any science, there is always the possibility that chemistry may be misused as it has been done in the past. This work will refer to preliminary initiatives undertaken to address awareness-raising about the multiple uses of chemical substances and the potential dual -use of scientific knowledge which are being implemented in different levels of chemistry education and public outreach programs. The OPCW has placed a priority on education and engagement with the development of tools and materials relevant to the Convention; we will describe these tools and the regional and national meetings that were organized to highlight the incorporation of the CWC's issues into the chemical curricula in South America. The paper will give special consideration to The Hague Ethical Guidelines, another initiative to support a culture of responsibility in the chemical sciences and to guard against the misuse of chemistry. These guidelines were recently formulated by an international group of chemistry practitioners and serve as a set of elements to engage scientists in the ethical dimensions of their work. Education and outreach to future generations to promote the peaceful uses of chemistry is an essential part of achieving the goal of a world free of chemical weapons.