INVC,,
Delhi,,
The National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention (NACWC), a part of Cabinet Secretariat has been commended by the premier world body, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on getting ISO 9001:2008, Certificate. The award is in recognition of the highly successful performance of the National Authority. India’s Ambassador to Netherlands Ms. Bhaswati Mukherjee presented a copy of the certificate to the Director General Of the OPCW at a function in Hague on Thursday. The Director General of the OPCW, Mr. Ahmad Uzumen said that the Indian example is a role model for other countries. Australian representative Josey Meyers lauded India’s role and said it will ensure high quality outputs from the National Authority. US Ambassador and Permanent Representative to OPCW ,Dr. Robert Mikulak has hailed it as an impressive achievement.
At a function organized on the sidelines of the 15th Conference of the States Parties, the Chairman of National Authority and other members of the Indian delegation made a presentation on the aim, objectives and process for obtaining the ISO 9001 certification by Bureau Veritas, world’s leading certification body based in France. It was very well attended by over 70 participants from different Regional Groups including those from Africa . At least 15 Ambassadors including the Ambassadors from Netherlands, United States, Italy, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and several African countries were present. Indian embassy in Netherlands has already received may requests already regarding future technical assistance that can be provided by National Authority.
The ISO 9001 Certificate makes the National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention (NACWC) the first among all 188 member nations of OPCW to attain this distinction. It is also the first Government of India department to have qualified for ISO 9001:2008 certification. This is part of Prime Minister’s efforts to enhance administrative efficiency and accountability of Government departments. The Cabinet Secretary, Mr. K. M. Chandrasekhar, who is leading the reform effort in the Government, has asked other government departments to follow the example of his department. It is part of Cabinet Secretariat’s integrated policy of performance management in Government. The integrated system for defining, documenting, improving, communicating and auditing of processes has already led to considerable improvements in the operations of the Indian National Authority both in quantitative and qualitative terms. The Indian delegation has been approached by several countries including Japan, Sri Lanka, Italy, Kenya, Uganda, etc. for information and technical assistance for obtaining similar certification for their respective national authorities.
