Franz G. Ontal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Franz Gamboa Ontal 27 April 1964 Victorias, Negros Occidental, Philippines |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Known for | Anti-nuclear activism |
| Awards | Nobel Peace Prize (2013) |
Franz G. Ontal (born 27 April 1964) was a Filipino anti-nuclear activist known for his role as head of inspector training at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). [1] [2] [3] [4]
Ontal was the fourth child of six children of Patricio Ontal, a physician, and Lydia Teves-Gamboa.
Ontal studied at La Salle High School in Bacolod, Negros Occidental and completed undergraduate degree in biology premed studies at the University of St. La Salle. [5] He immigrated with to the United States, becoming a paramedic and emergency medical technician instructor with the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation. [1] [2]
In 2008, Ontal left for The Hague, Netherlands to start his work in the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as a medic for the chemical weapons inspector and disposal teams. He would later become head of inspector training, a position he held when the said organization won the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. [1] [2]
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member states, has its seat in The Hague, Netherlands; it oversees the global endeavour for the permanent and verifiable elimination of chemical weapons.
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), officially the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, is an arms control treaty administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an intergovernmental organization based in The Hague, The Netherlands. The treaty entered into force on 29 April 1997, and prohibits the large-scale use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of chemical weapons and their precursors, except for very limited purposes. The main obligation of member states under the convention is to effect this prohibition, as well as the destruction of all current chemical weapons. All destruction activities must take place under OPCW verification.
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