VERTIC: About the Centre

About the Centre

VERTIC is an independent, non-profit making, non-governmental organization. Its mission is to promote effective and efficient verification as a means of ensuring confidence in the implementation of international agreements and intra-national agreements with international involvement.

Verification is understood to mean the use of information to make judgements about the compliance or non-compliance of parties to an agreement. VERTIC’s brief encompasses the negotiation of verification and compliance provisions; the implementation, monitoring and verification of agreements; the operation of compliance, enforcement and review mechanisms; and the establishment of confidence-building measures to enhance the operation of agreements. VERTIC aims to achieve its mission by means of:

• research
• training
• dissemination of information, and
• interaction with the relevant political, diplomatic, technical, scientific and non-governmental communities.

VERTIC was established in 1986.

What are VERTIC’s research programmes?
While maintaining a watching brief on all aspects of monitoring, verification and compliance, VERTIC has three broad research programmes.

Arms control and disarmament
This programme deals with the monitoring and verification of international treaties on nuclear nonproliferation, nuclear disarmament, nuclear testing, chemical and biological weapons and conventional weaponry, including the performance of the relevant international verification organizations.

The environment
This area of VERTIC's work covers monitoring and verification issues related to multilateral environmental agreements. VERTIC's current project in this area is on the implementation and verification of the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

Peace agreements
This programme encompasses the verification and monitoring of international and intra-national peace accords, including the military, electoral, human rights and civilian police aspects, in particular by means of peacekeeping operations. The programme also tracks verification developments in respect of the peace processes in Northern Ireland, between India and Pakistan and between Israel and the Palestinians.

How is VERTIC governed?
VERTIC is governed by a Board of Directors:

Gen. Sir Hugh Beach MA, MSc, DCL (Hon.) (co-Chair)
Dr Owen Greene (co-Chair)
Duncan Brack BA, MSc
Lee Chadwick MA
Nicholas A. Sims, BSc (Econ)
Susan Willett BA (Hons), MPhil
Dr David Wolfe
Dr Molly Anderson

VERTIC is also advised by an International Verification Consultants Network.

How is VERTIC funded?
It is funded primarily by grants from foundations. Current major funders are the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation; the Ford Foundation; the Global Opportunities Fund of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO); the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.

VERTIC also accepts commissions from governments, international organizations and other bodies. It currently has commissions from the Canadian Government; the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (WMDC). Past commissions include projects for Landmine Monitor and the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI).

VERTIC's past funders include the Belgian Government; the Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund; the European Commission; the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO); the German Government; the John Merck Fund; the UK Ministry of Defence; the Network for Social Change; Oak Foundation; the Ploughshares Fund; the Polden-Puckham Charitable Foundation; the Rockefeller Brothers Fund; the Rockefeller Family Philanthropic Offices; the Rockefeller Foundation; and the W. Alton Jones Foundation.

What are VERTIC’s activities?
VERTIC holds its own seminars, workshops and conferences and participates in those organized by others. Its staff publish widely in the general and specialist press. VERTIC has its own publications programme as well as this website. It is often the first port of call for the media in regard to monitoring and verification issues. VERTIC also has an intern programme.

VERTIC cooperates closely with United Nations (UN) bodies and other international organizations. It is affiliated to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a non-governmental observer, has consultative (roster) status with the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is a member of the UN Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (CONGO).

It also works with other research institutes, universities, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). VERTIC and/or its staff are members of:

• Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS)
• BioWeapons Prevention Project (BWPP)
• Climate Action Network (CAN)
• Chatham House (Royal Institute for International Affairs)
• International Relations and Security Network (ISN)
• International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)
• Landmine Action
• UK Working Group on Arms

How do I contact VERTIC?
The Verification Research, Training and Information Centre (VERTIC)
Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street
London EC2A 4JX, United Kingdom

Tel +44 (0)20 7065 0880
Fax +44 (0)20 7065 0890
E-mail info@vertic.org

Reg. Co. No. 3616935
Reg. Charity No. 1073051

About this website
VERTIC would like to thank the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for its generous support for design, development and maintenance of this website.

The design is by Richard Jones, Exile: Design and Editorial Services.