On February 16, 2018, Ambassador Luiz Filipe de Macedo Soares, Secretary General of OPANAL, received Ms. Marjolijn van Deelen, Director of the Non-Proliferation, Disarmament, Arms Control and Weapons Policy Division at the Agency's Headquarters. Export Control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
During the meeting, Ambassador Luiz Filipe de Macedo Soares, Secretary General of OPANAL, informed Ms. van Deelen about the success of the Internship Program for Caribbean Member States, which has financial support from the Netherlands. At that meeting, Ms. Marjolijn van Deelen renewed the Netherlands' commitment to continue collaborating with OPANAL on the Internship Program.
The Internship Program for Caribbean Member States began in 2016 and provides the opportunity for Caribbean students and diplomats to gain professional experience for 5 months at the OPANAL Secretariat. Since its inception, students and diplomats from Jamaica, Guyana, Saint Lucia and Haiti have carried out their internships, performing tasks in different areas of the OPANAL Secretariat (read the Testimonials).