OPCW–The Hague Award

In its first edition, the Award was presented to Dr Robert Mathews of the Commonwealth of Australia, and also to the organisation VERIFIN of the Republic of Finland.

• Dr Robert Mathews

Dr Robert Mathews previously lead the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Arms Control Unit in the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), which he founded in 1974.[5][6] Through his work Dr Mathews has contributed greatly to the OPCW since its formation in 1997, and has provided invaluable expertise in both the disarmament of chemical weapons, and the advancement of innovative protective counter-measures against their use.

• VERIFIN

VERIFIN (the Finnish Institute for Verification of the Chemical Weapons Convention) operates as part of the Department of Science at the University of Helsinki,[7] and was founded in 1994. VERIFIN has served as the National Authority of Finland since 1998, as defined under Article VII of the Chemical Weapons Convention.[8] As such, VERIFIN works closely with the main body of the OPCW and has provided considerable assistance through the development of advanced verification methods for use in the detection and identification of chemical weapons and their components; most recently used during the investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic.

In 2015, the Award was presented to Dr Mahdi Balali-Mood of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Dr Alastair Hay of the United Kingdom.

• Dr Mahdi Balali-Mood

Dr Mahdi Balali-Mood, a leading authority in medical toxicology, was presented with The OPCW–The Hague Award due to his outstanding work in treating the victims of chemical weapon use; most prominently during the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War. His wealth of experience in the field lead to the establishment of his own clinic in the aftermath of the war to provide care for victims affected by the long term consequences of surviving exposure to chemical weapons.[9] Since then he has been "a tireless educator on the medical aspects of chemical weapons",[10] in addition to his collaborations with the WHO and OPCW.

• Dr Alastair Hay

Dr Alastair Hay a preeminent expert in the field of occupational health and toxicology, and in this capacity he has participated in numerous missions to investigate alleged uses of chemical weapons. His training courses for doctors and OPCW inspectors working in Syria have aided them in better understanding the long-term health effects of exposure to chemical weapons, and establishing more effective protocols for the treatment of victims. Dr Hay is also a leading figure in international efforts to advocate the peaceful applications of chemistry and biology.

• African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT)

The African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) from Algiers, Algeria addresses the threat of chemical terrorism in Africa, the ways to mitigate these risks and the need for further international cooperation.

• International Master Courses in Protection Against CBRNe Events

International Master Courses in Protection Against CBRNe Events, based at the University of Rome Tor Vergata targets the next generation CBRN practitioners, cntributing significantly to the OPCW objective of preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons.

• Robert Mikulak

Robert Mikulak was honoured for his substantial contributions to chemical disarmament through his extensive involvement in the negotiations of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and as the former Permanent Representative of the United States to the OPCW.

• Cheng Tang

Chang Teng of China, an expert on chemical demilitarisation, is currently the Chairman of the OPCW Scientific Advisory Board ( SAB) and an advisor to the Chinese National Authority.

• International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has provided extensive and longstanding support to the OPCW in promoting the objectives of the CWC.