INTERPOL Global Congress on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats
Channel: INTERPOL
Date: 2020-04-25

High on the agenda of the INTERPOL Global Congress on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats, hosted at INTERPOL’s General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, was the illicit diversion by criminals and terrorists of chemical precursors and explosive materials from legitimate procurement.

Throughout the week, almost 200 delegates representing law enforcement, government, international and regional organizations, academia and the chemical industry, shared experiences and best practices for improving security throughout the lifecycle of chemicals that are used for criminal purposes.


Regional security concerns and emerging technologies used by non-state actors to spread toxic chemicals and explosives were the focus of panel discussions, as well as the identification of vulnerabilities in chemical precursor and component supply chains, and best practices for addressing them.


The event co-organized by INTERPOL, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency underlined the importance of partnership and combined expertise to enhance the collective ability to detect, deter, and disrupt the acquisition or use of explosive precursor chemicals and chemical weapons, which is why the holistic role of INTERPOL is so important.


By bringing together diverse expertise, the Congress was unique in its emphasis on developing symbiotic public-private relationships between law enforcement, industry experts and policymakers, and served to support each of these actors’ ability to close the gaps exploited by criminals and terrorists to acquire precursor chemicals.


Tapping into a network of technical expertise to mitigate ongoing or new threat concerns as they arise will allow Global Congress members to continue their engagement in chemical security, and to mutually support one another well beyond the confines of the event.