CBRN newsletter. Volume 18, June 2022.
Date: 2022-06-30
Institutions: Joint Research Centre
Subjects: European security, cooperation policy, defence policy, foreign policy, international security, serial publication

Funded by
the European Union

CBRN NEWSLETTER   

Created by the European Commission - Volume 18 - June 2022

CBRN risk assessment training package 
initiated in the SEEE region 

By Anaïs Joerger, Talgat Toleubayev and Alina Iatan 
Brussels, May 2022

Risks  associated  with 
the  Chemical, 
Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) 
materials  may  have  very  devastating  and 
if 
far-reaching  negative  consequences, 
countries  do  not  address  and  mitigate 
them properly. This wide spectrum of CBRN 
risks include safety and security concerns 
to  population  and  industry,  environmental 
hazards,  institutional  and  infrastructure 
considerations.  For 
the 
subject  of  CBRN  risk  assessment  and 
mitigation  is  an  important  component  of 
national security of our Partner Countries. 
Consequently, a series of training sessions 
on  risk  assessment  has  been  initiated  in 
the South East and Eastern Europe region. 

reason, 

this 

This  approach  in  CBRN  Risk  assessment 
and  risk  management  can  easily  be 
replicated,  and  adapted  as  needed,  in  the 
other seven regions which are part of the 
EU’s CBRN CoE Initiative. Partner Countries 
may  avail  themselves  of  this  opportunity 
prior  to  developing  their  CBRN  National 
Strategies and National Action Plans. 

...continued on page 3

CBRN terrorism was identified as a priority in Lebanon’s CBRN National Action Plan. In the picture, a Beirut 
Fire Fighter manages a chemical release during Lebanon’s ‘ARZ 2021’ field exercise, aimed at improving first 
response to a CBRN terrorism threat in the country.

HIGHLIGHTS from the CBRN CoE’s 8 Regions
Eastern and Central Africa Regional 
Secretariat Official Inauguration

Lebanon’s ARZ field exercise 
countering CBRN terrorism

Series of CBRN 
Forensics Guidebooks

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C

Dr. Reychad Abdool, 
Team Leader, MEDISAFE Project 66, Expertise 
France, Paris, France

Gladdes H. Arreco, 
CBRN Desk Officer, Bureau of Fire Protection, 
Quezon City, Philippines

Dr. Lela Bakanidze, 
OSA Expert for CA Region, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Katy Carroll, 
UNICRI Editorial Team, Turin, Italy

Peter Clevestig, 
OSA Expert for GCC Region, Abu Dhabi, United 
Arab Emirates

Bakhtiyor Gulyamov, 
Head of the CA Regional Secretariat, Tashkent, 
Uzbekistan

R. Alexander Hamilton, 
Regional Coordinator for SEA Region, Manila, 
Philippines

Youcef Hemimou, 
OSA Expert for AAF Region, Rabat, Morocco

Nicolas Jal, 
OSA Expert for NAS Region, Algiers, Algeria

Anaïs Joerger, 
Project Manager, European Commission, Joint 
Research Centre (JRC), Brussels, Belgium

John Jones, 
Team Leader/Key Expert 1, EU CBRN CoE Project 
81, SCJS, Southampton, United Kingdom

Andrew Proudlove, 
Team Leader, EU CBRN CoE Project 87 PRECA, 
ISTC, Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan

Adil Radoini, 
Regional Cooperation Officer for MIE and GCC 
Regions, UNICRI, Turin, Italy

Margaryta Rayets, 
President, Women in Nuclear Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

Anne-Sophie Lequarré, 
Project Manager, Service for Foreign Policy 
Instruments (FPI), Brussels, Belgium

Alice Rena, 
UNICRI Fellow - CBRN Programme and Team 
Assistant for MIE and GCC Regions, Turin, Italy

Mari Lursmanashvili, 
Head of SEEE Regional Secretariat, Tbilisi, Georgia

Dr. Yaugen Ryzhykau, 
Project Manager, EU CBRN CoE Project 65, MICHR, 
Warsaw, Poland

Jumber Mamasakhlisi, 
OSA Expert for SEEE Region, Tbilisi, Georgia

Stefania Micucci, 
Regional Coordinator for AAF Region, Rabat, 
Morocco

Ilaria Mussetti, 
Regional Cooperation Officer for AAF Region, Dakar, 
Senegal

Talgat Toleubayev, 
Regional Coordinator for SEEE Region, Tbilisi, 
Georgia

Nargizakhon Usmanova, 
Regional Coordinator for CA Region, Tashkent, 
Uzbekistan

Dr. Joanna Zwetyenga, 
WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, 
Denmark

Alina Iatan, 
Project Manager, European Commission, Joint 
Research Centre (JRC), Brussels, Belgium

Sorin Popa, 
Project Manager, Service for Foreign Policy 
Instruments (FPI), Brussels, Belgium

Jasurjon Ibragimov, 
Team Assistant in CA Regional Secretariat, 
Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Günter Povoden, 
OSA Expert for MIE Region, Amman, Jordan

CONTENTS 

Focus

p.05

CBRN risk assessment training package initiated 
in the SEEE region

01

Women in CBRN: Gender parity within the CBRN

05

p.27

Regions

African Atlantic Façade

Central Asia

Eastern and Central Africa

Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Middle East

North Africa and Sahel

South East Asia

p.48

South East and Eastern Europe

06

10

20

25

26

33

38

44

TABLE OF COMMON ACRONYMS: AAF = African Atlantic Façade; ASEAN = Association of Southeast Asian Nations; BFP = Bureau of Fire Protection of the Philippines; 
CA = Central Asia; CBRN = Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear; CoE = Centres of Excellence; DG FPI = European Commission’s Directorate General for Foreign 
Policy Instruments; EC = European Commission; ECA = Eastern and Central Africa; EEAS = European External Action Service; eNOTICE = European Network of CBRN 
Training Centres; Europol = European Union’s Law Enforcement Agency; GCC = Gulf Cooperation Council Countries; HoS = Heads of Secretariat; IAEA = International 
Atomic Energy Agency; IAP = International Association of Prosecutors; INTERPOL = International Criminal Police Organization; IPD = Pasteur Institute in Dakar; ISEM = 
International Security and Emergency Management Institute; ISTC = International Science and Technology Center; JRC = Joint Research Centre; KEMRI = Kenya Medical 
Research Institute; KNRA = Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority; LAEC = Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission; MediPIET = Mediterranean and Black Sea Programme 
for Intervention Epidemiology Training; MIE = Middle East; MORU = Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Bangkok; MoU = Memorandum of Understanding; 
NACW = National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical, Nuclear, Biological and Radiological Weapons, Cambodia; NAQ = Need Assessment Questionnaire; NAP 
= Need Assessment Plan; NAS = North Africa and Sahel; NFP = National Focal Point; OSA = On-Site Technical Assistant; NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization; 
OPCW = Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; RAP = Regional Action Plan; RIVM = Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment; RS 
= Regional Secretariat; RTM = Round Table Meeting; SCK CEN = Belgian Nuclear Research Centre; SCS = Supply Chain Security; SEA = South East Asia; SEEE = South 
East and Eastern Europe; SFMHP = Sub-standard and Falsified Medicines and Health Products; TDG = Transport of dangerous goods; UKHSA = United Kingdom’s Health 
Security Agency; UNDSS = United Nations Department of Safety and Security; UNICRI = United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute; UNODA = 
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs; WHO = World Health Organization; WiN = Women in Nuclear; WMD = Weapons of Mass Destruction. 

0202

FOCUSCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CBRN CoE Activity Cycle

Quality Control, Performance  
and Impact Assessment

CBRN 
Guidelines

Project Implementation

Analysis, Resource 
Allocation

Regional  
Action Plans**

TRACEABILITY OF: 
• Needs
• Actions
• Proposals
• Projects

Needs
Assessment*

Assessment of 
CBRN risks*

National  
Action plan*

Project
Proposal**

Prioritization 
of needs at 
regional level**

* National Activities
** Regional Activities

The CBRN CoE Cycle of Activities

Continued from cover article ...

in 

What is the CBRN risk assessment 
exercise? 
The CBRN risk assessment exercise has 
been  introduced  within  the  CBRN  CoE 
exercises  following  a  recommendation 
the  European  Court  of 
made  by 
Auditors 
its  2018  Special  Report 
n°14. A methodology has therefore been 
developed by the European Commission’s 
(EC)  Joint  Research  Centre  (JRC)  in 
collaboration with the On-Site-Assistance 
(OSA)  experts  and  relevant  Regional 
Secretariats.  This  methodology  aims  to 
rank the most important CBRN risks in the 
country and to achieve a more structured 
prioritisation of the National Action Plan 
(NAP) actions. More specifically, the risk 
assessment  enables  the  national  team 
to  have  a  deeper  reflexion  on  the  CBRN 
risks  present  in  the  country,  to  prioritise 
actions  and  investments  in  the  areas 

identified, to characterise risks situations 
and to monitor progress in the mitigation 
actions. 

In practical terms, this exercise can take 
place  between  the  Needs  Assessment 
Questionnaire  (NAQ)  and  the  drafting 
of the NAP or when found timely by the 
National  Focal  Points  (NFP).  It  will  take 
the form of a technical workshop during 
which the partner country will go through 
the  different  steps  of  the  methodology, 
with  support  of  the  OSA  and  other 
relevant stakeholders. 

risk 

for 

interest 

A  growing 
assessment in the SEEE region 
In  the  South  East  and  Eastern  Europe 
(SEEE) region, the CBRN risk assessment 
exercise  was  touched  upon  during  the 
regional  NFP  Round  Table  Meetings  as 
well  as  many  bilateral  meetings  with 
relevant stakeholders. 

has 

been 

In  addition  to  this,  the  CBRN  Risk 
Assessment 
identified 
among  the  top  priorities  within  the 
CBRN  Regional  Action  Plan 
(RAP) 
under  preparation  in  the  region  for  the 
coming  5  years  to  effectively  mitigate 
CBRN  risks.  Each  of  the  eleven  priority 
areas  identified  will  be  complemented 
with  their  specific  actions  identified  by 
relevant partner countries experts. 

the  methodology, 

Based  on  this  growing  interest  for  risk 
for  more  guidance 
assessment  and 
on 
the  Regional 
Secretariat suggested to set up a training 
package  for  the  national  and  regional 
experts 
their  collective 
understanding of CBRN risks. Discussions 
took  place  with 
the  United  Nations 
Interregional Crime and Justice Research 
Institute (UNICRI) regional coordinator, the 
OSA experts and the JRC that provided its 
support in the implementation.

improve 

to 

0303

FOCUSCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022FOCUS

1

Regional Training

CBRN Risk
Assessment

Regional Training

2

National Risk
Assessment

Country Specific

3

CBRN risk and threat assessment training package’s 3-step approach.

Building  of  the  risk  assessment 
training package
Building  upon 
the  risk  assessment 
capabilities  in  the  SEEE  region,  it  was 
agreed 
to  design  a  comprehensive 
training  package  on  CBRN  Risk 
assessment 
management 
and 
consisting  of  a  mix  of  regional  and 
national training sessions to be delivered 
in 3 steps.

The  generic  training  on  the  ISO  31000 
standard on risk management (1st step) 
provides  a  framework  to  define  risks 
and  risk  management,  to  understand 
the  different  approaches  and 
their 
benefits  as  well  as  the  prioritization 
and  management  of  risks,  to  explore 
effective 
techniques, 
risk  management  as  an  integral  part 
of  strategic  decision-making  and  the 
management  of  change.  Two  regional  
trainings  were  offered  on  14  July  2021 
(for  the  Balkan  countries)  and  21  July 
2021  (for  Eastern  European  countries) 
that were attended by fifty-four trainees 
from nine countries of the SEEE region. 

assessment 

The  regional  CBRN  risk  assessment 
training  (2nd  step)  aims  to  turn  theory 
into  practice  using  risk  management 
techniques  to  improve  risk  assessment 
and  risk  management.  This  training 
offers  an  opportunity  to  explore  the 
context  within  which  CBRN  risks  are 
managed,  to  practise  tools  to  identify 
risks  and  consider  what  could  be  the 
most effective actions to manage CBRN 
risks. This exercise allowed participants 
to  practise  the  CBRN  Risk  Assessment 
principles with their own country experts, 
it  when 
so  that  they  may  replicate 
necessary  with  their  CBRN  National 
Team  members  back  home.  Two 
identical  trainings  have  been  delivered 

0404

on 1 December 2021 and 16 December 
2021. Same participants who completed 
the initial summer training sessions were 
invited.

Since 
the  SEEE  Partner  Countries 
have  successfully  completed  a  series 
of  regional  generic  training  sessions, 
they  were  encouraged  to  consider  the 
possibility of requesting some additional 
national  training  /  workshop  session 
on  specific  CBRN  risk  assessment 
issues  (3rd  step).  The  third  step  may 
be  a  mixture  of  training  and  technical 
workshops  at  national  level  aimed  at 
sharing  best  practices  on  CBRN  risk 
assessment  exercises.  This  workshop 
can  be  organised  upon  request  of  the 
partner  country  and  is  led  by  the  OSA 
expert or other identified subject matter 
experts. 

The  risk  assessment  concepts  and 
practical  knowledge  acquired  by  the 
CBRN  national  experts  makes  it  easier 
for the CoE Partner Countries to integrate 
risk  management 
their  overall 
efforts to define a comprehensive CBRN 

into 

national  action  plan  and  to  continually 
improve their CBRN emergency planning 
and response. 

Next steps
The  SEEE  Regional  Secretariat,  the  EC 
Joint  Research  Centre,  the  EC  Service 
for  Foreign  Policy  Instruments  (FPI) 
and UNICRI will continue to render their 
support  to  Partner  Countries  in  moving 
towards  the  third  step  of  the  process, 
which  aims  at  the  development  of  the 
national  CBRN  Threat  Assessment 
framework. 

in 

CBRN 

approach 

This 
Risk  
Management  and  Assessment  can 
easily  be  replicated,  and  adapted  as 
needed, in the other seven regions which 
are part of the EU’s CBRN CoE Initiative. 
Partner Countries may avail themselves 
of  this  opportunity  prior  to  developing 
their  CBRN  National  Strategies  and 
National  Action  Plans.  To  this  aim,  the 
risk  assessment  training  package  was 
presented  at  the  CBRN  CoE  Heads  of 
Secretariats  (HoS)  meeting  held  on  22 
November 2021.    

Backdrop of the Risk Management training video conference. 

CBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022WOMEN IN CBRN  
Gender parity within the CBRN

By Margaryta Rayets

in 
The  promotion  of  gender  parity 
professional  fields  is  a  very  up-to-date 
question.  Until  recently,  the  issue  of 
gender  has  not  been  considered 
in 
the  CBRN  domain,  where  there  is  no 
global  network  for  Women  in  CBRN. 
However, 
  a  good  example  of  the 
promotion of gender parity in the nuclear 
the  worldwide  non-profit  
sector 
network Women in Nuclear Global. 

is 

counts 

around 

Also known as WiN Global, this network 
currently 
35,000 
members  from  129  countries,  has  over 
42  national,  regional  and  international 
chapters throughout the world, and it is 
still  growing.  Members  include  women 
in 
and  men  working  professionally 
medicine  and  health  care,  in  regulatory 
authorities, 
as 
independent researchers. The members 
have a common commitment to provide 
information  and  communicate  with  the 
public.  

industry, 

and 

in 

WiN  Global  and  its  national  chapters 
are a very good example of how gender 
parity  can  be  promoted  in  the  CBRN 
professional  sphere.  For  Women 
in 
Nuclear Ukraine, a national chapter of WiN 
Global,  a  starting  point  for  establishing 
the  comprehensive  cooperation  among 
women 
in 
CBRN  directions  was  the  signing  of  a 
Memorandum of Understanding with the 
organization  Women  of  Eurasia  in  Pest 
Management, in September 2021. 

professionals  working 

The signing of this MoU was the very first 
step of a collaboration which shortly after 
led  to  the  participation  of  WiN  Ukraine 
in  the  9th  Heads  of  Secretariat  (HoS) 

Ms Margaryta Rayets (left), WiN Ukraine President, and Ms Iryna Bryliova (right), Head of Women of Eurasia 
in Pest Management sign MoU between the two organisations, in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 2021. 

meeting of the EU CBRN Risk Mitigation 
Centres  of  Excellence  Initiative,  where 
WiN  Ukraine  presented  the 
initiative 
“Women  in  CBRN”.  It  is  indeed  a  rather 
important  mission  to  gather  all  efforts 
under  one  umbrella  with  international 
support,  and  so  being  able  to  promote 
level  between 
cooperation  at  global 

It is a rather  
important mission  
to gather all efforts  
for women in CBRN 
under one umbrella 
with international 
support

women  professionals  in  the  fields  of 
chemical,  biological,  radiological  and 
nuclear safety and security.

The  “Women  in  CBRN”  initiative,  as 
an 
international  umbrella  network, 
could  facilitate  the  implementation  of 
multiple  CBRN  activities,  such  as  the 
exchange  of  information  related  to  the 
areas  of  cooperation;  consultations 
on  issues  connected  to  the  spheres 
of  activity;  planning  of  joint  activities; 
joint  development  of  projects  and 
the  creation  of  conditions  for  their 
implementation; the establishment and 
consolidations  of  experts  activities;  as 
well  as  joint  working  groups,  advisory 
and expert bodies. 

The  article 
provided by the SEEE region.   

‘Women 

in  CBRN’  was 

05

CBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022FOCUSAFRICAN ATLANTIC FAÇADE

By Youcef Hemimou, Stefania Micucci and Ilaria Mussetti

Foundation stone laid for the 
African Centre for Resilience to 
Epidemics CARE, a benchmark in 
safety and biosecurity
Ilaria Mussetti

On  6  December  2021,  the  foundation 
stone  was  laid  for  the  African  Centre 
for  Resilience  to  Epidemics  CARE  at 
the  Pasteur  Institute  in  Dakar  (IPD), 
Senegal. The President of the European 
Council, Mr. Charles Michel, attended the 
ceremony.

Launched  with  the  support  of  the  EU 
CBRN CoE initiative, the CARE Centre of 
Excellence will be a benchmark in terms 
of safety and biosecurity, with expertise 

in  the  most  efficient  technologies.  Its 
mission will also be the development of 
new  disease  control  strategies  that  will 
strengthen the response to epidemics.

Strengthening  the  COVID-19  response 
in Africa
The  CARE 
the  Project 
is  part  of 
LABPLUS  Africa,  which  aims  to  offer  a 
strategic  framework  to  strengthen  the 
COVID-19 response in Africa. Overall, the 
programme will implement an innovative 
approach to health services by upgrading 
to  accommodate 
the 
new  control  technologies,  and  provide 
specialised training for the whole region.

facilities 

IPD 

LABPLUS  Africa  is  delivered  on  behalf 

Preparation for the stone laying ceremony.

of the EU CBRN CoE by the consortium 
partners  Praesens  Foundation  and  the 
Fondation Institut Pasteur de Dakar.

President of the European Council, Mr. Charles Michel (centre) lays foundation stone for the CARE Centre of Excellence in Dakar, Senegal, on 6 December 2021.  

06

AAF RegionAAF REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022Trucks suitable for the transportation of dangerous chemicals lined up at a chemical plant.

INSTASUR* and SECTRANS**: 
a strengthened framework to 
secure the risk management 
involving chemicals in the 
African Atlantic Façade Region
Youcef Hemimou, Stefania Micucci  
and Ilaria Mussetti

The result of a work started in 2015
Since  2015  with  Project  41,  then  2017 
with  projects  69  INSTASUR  and  71 
SECTRANS,  the  EU  CBRN  CoE  has 
supported  the  Partner  Countries  of  the 
African  Atlantic  Façade  (AAF)  region 
in  setting  up  an 
legal, 
technical  and  operational  framework 
to  oversee  the  installations  and  the 
transportation 
involving  dangerous 
chemicals.

institutional, 

These  projects  have  been  essential  to 
ensure  safe  economic  development 
and to build an efficient industrial fabric 
without  risk  to  the  population  and  the 
environment in the region. 

If the industrial accidents such as Seveso 
in  1976  and  Bhopal  in  1986,  at  the 
origin  of  the  strengthening  of  industrial 
safety 
remain  anchored 
in  our  memories,  the  disaster  of  the 
port  of  Beirut  in  August  2020  and  the 

in  Europe, 

 * INSTASUR : High risk chemical facilities and 
risk mitigation in the African Atlantic Façade 
Region(P69)

**  SECTRANS : Safer and more secure 

transportation of dangerous goods by road and 
rail in the AAF region (P71)

transportation  accident  in  Sierre  Leone 
in  November  2021  constantly  remind 
importance  of  preventing 
us  of  the 
building 
and 
technological 
capacities to respond to accidents.

risks 

the 

implementation  of 

An undeniable success
Despite  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  which 
has  been  in  many  ways  unprecedented 
for  the  whole  world,  all  the  work 
accomplished  by  the  Partner  Countries 
during 
the 
projects,  with  the  support  of  the  local 
and international experts, has had a real 
and concrete impact in the advancement 
of 
industrial  risk  reduction  policies. 
After  more  than  3  years  of  project 
implementation, the closing ceremonies 
of Project 69 in October 2021, and Project 
71 in December 2021, were the occasion 
to  reflect  on  the  positive  achievements 
across 3 fields:
- Legal and institutional: 
each  partner  country  now  has  an 
inventory,  highlighting  the  regulatory 
priorities to be implemented;
- Methodological: 
the  territorial  vulnerability  matrix,  the 
safety  report,  and  internal  and  external 
emergency plans have been rolled out in 
a few countries;
- Operational:
skills  are  strengthened.  Awareness 
in  each 
sessions  were  organised 
country  for  those  involved  in  industrial 
risk  management,  as  well  as  training 
sessions for selected trainers.

These projects  
have been essential  
to ensure safe economic 
development and 
to build an efficient 
industrial fabric  
without risk to the 
population and the 
environment in the 
region

Among  these  many  successes,  two 
the  new 
deserve  special  attention: 
regulatory 
in  place 
framework  put 
in  Gabon,  and  the  regional  exercise 
organised  in  Dakar  for  the  closure  of 
Project 71:

New regulatory framework in Gabon
Since  17  December  2021,  the  new  de-
cree setting the legal regime for high-risk 
installations  for  the  environment  and 
the  population  has  entered  into  force. 
It  requires  carrying  out  a  safety  report, 
drawing  up  internal  and  external  emer-
gency  plans,  and  setting  up  require-
ments  around  high-risk  installations  to  
strenghthen  the  protection  of  the  popu-

07

AAF RegionAAF REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022P69 INSTASUR Closing Ceremony. 

P71 SECTRANS Closing Ceremony. 

lation  and  the  environment.  Initiated  in 
2015 with Project 41, this decree marks 
a  new  milestone  for  the  industrial  acci-
dent  prevention  policy  in  Gabon.  These 
achievements  were  made  possible 
thanks  to  the  strong  involvement  and 
perseverance  of  the  EU  CBRN  CoE  Na-
tional  Focal  Point  of  Gabon,  Mr.Jean-
Maurice  Ayine,  and  the  legal  officer  of 
the  Gabonese  Ministry  of  Environment, 
Ms.  Trésor  Avomo.  The  reform  is  cur-
rently being reviewed in the other Partner 
Countries.

A regional exercise of a transport accident
The project SECTRANS has had among 
its  main  objectives  to  meet  not  only 
the  challenges  of  prevention 
in  the 
transportation  of  dangerous  goods, 
but  also  those  of  response  in  order  to 
reduce the severity of the consequences 
in  the  event  of  an  accident.  This  is  an 
effort that involves the mobilization and 
coordination of multiple actors and skills.

The regional exercise of a transportation 
accident  of  a  toxic  and  flammable 

chemical material carried out near the port 
of Dakar, a simulation event marking the 
closure of Project 71, was an opportunity 
for  the  participants  to  put  into  practice 
theoretical  learning  and  to  test  in  close 
to  real-life  conditions  certain  operational 
procedures  by  mobilizing  the  equipment 
provided  by  the  European  Union  within 
the  framework  of  Project  70.  [To  know 
more about the equipment provided, read 
the  news  article  ‘Progressive  delivery  of 
equipment for intervention in the transport 
of  dangerous  goods  and  risk  mitigation’ 

08

AAF RegionAAF REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022Leak of a toxic and flammable product. 

published by Nicolas Jal, OSA North Africa 
and  Sahel  Region  (NAS),  within  the  NAS 
section of this Newsletter (page 34).]

Items  such  as  collective  and  individual 
protection 
response 
equipment, 
equipment,  and  chemical  and  radiation 
detection equipment, were distributed to 
the first responders who secure the area 
and looked out for protecting the people 
nearby.  This  early  step  is  of  crucial 
importance for the safety of people and 
the environment.

The EU CBRN CoE national focal point of 
Senegal, Ms Ramatoulaye Diop, the team 
of  the  Ministry  of  the  Environment  of 
Senegal as well as other actors involved, 
were  decisive  in  the  success  of  this 
regional exercise.

Ensure  better  visibility  of  the  CoE 
actions
To  ensure  the  visibility  of  the  actions 
carried out within the framework of the EU 
CBRN CoE, the AAF Regional Secretariat 
actively  participated  in  the  delivery  of 

two  brochures  showcasing  the  main 
successes of each project. Targeted to all 
national and international bodies involved 
in  the  management  of  chemical  risks  in 
partner  countries, these communication 
outputs  aim 
the 
considerable  progress  made  in  the  AAF 
region  in  relation  to  the  implementation 
of policies for the prevention of industrial 
accidents, as well as to awareness-raising 
on these subjects.  

inform  about 

to 

in 

reforms 

2022 outlook
the  field  of 
Significant 
industrial  risks  are  in  progress  building 
up on the successes of Projects 69 and 
71.  The  AAF  Partner  Countries  decided 
during  the  National  Focal  Points  Round 
Table  Meeting  held  in  June  2021,  to 
continue  the  work  in  order  to  finalise 
the  institutional  framework  and  put  into 
practice  the  know-how  learned  on  pilot 
sites.  During  the  closing  ceremonies, 
the  AAF  Regional  Secretariat  presented 
the  objectives  of  the  follow-up  of  the 
Projects 69 and 71 under a single project 
scheduled for the first half of 2022.  

SECTRANS 
PROJECT 71

The main successes of the  
Sectrans Project 71 in numbers:

The project “Safer transportation of 
dangerous goods by road and rail in 
the  African  Atlantic  Façade  Region” 
targets the ten Partner Countries of 
the  CBRN  Centre  of  Excellence  of 
the  African  Atlantic  Façade  :  Benin, 
Cameroon,  Ivory  Coast,  Gabon,  Li-
beria, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal,
Sierra Leone and Togo.

REGIONAL REFERENCE

PROFESSIONALS TRAINED

N A T I O N A L 
REFERENCE
DOCUMENTS
PRODUCED

10
DOCUMENT DRAWN UP1
2200
4
DEVELOPED13
127

PRACTICAL/ OPERATIONAL
GUIDEBOOKS PRODUCED

E-LEARNING
MODULES

PROFESSIONALS 
TRAINED THROUGH  
ONLINE TRAINING

Detection technology. 

CBRN intervention equipment. 

CLICK HERE for the French  
language version of this article.

CBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2021

09

AAF RegionAAF REGIONCENTRAL ASIA

By Bakhtiyor Gulyamov, Nargizakhon Usmanova, Dr. Yaugen Ryzhykau, Dr. Lela Bakanidze, 
ISTC, Dr. Joanna Zwetyenga and Andrew Proudlove

The 14th Round Table  
Meeting
by Nargizakhon Usmanova and 
Bakhtiyor Gulyamov

Kazakhstan, the newest member of the 
Centres  of  Excellence  network,  hosted 
the 14th Round Table meeting of Central 
Asia  (CA)  held  in  Almaty  on  1-3  June 
2021.  The  meeting  was  attended  in 
person by the head of the CA Secretariat, 
the  Regional  Coordinator,  the  National 
Focal Points of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, 
Afghanistan,  Pakistan,  Kyrgyz  Republic, 
the 
the  Ministry 
of  Foreign  Affairs  of  Mongolia  and 
remotely  by  the  European  Commission 
representatives,  the  on-site  assistant, 
the National Focal Point of Mongolia and 
several project implementers.

representative  of 

The main topics of the meeting were:
•  finalization of the CBRN Regional 
Action Plan and its subsequent 
endorsement by Partner Countries 
•  launch of a new regional project P87 

“PRECA”

•  successful implementation of projects 

P53 and P65

•  delivery of mobile laboratories to 

Uzbekistan, 

•  delivery of awareness raising trainings 
to more than 500 university students 
in 2021

•  participation of women-virologists 
in the international UN campaign 
“Women in Science”

•  organization of an inter-regional 
workshop with the International 
Atomic Energy Agency- developed 
(IAEA) Integrated Nuclear Security 

Support Plan (INSSP) on nuclear 
security in Q2/2022

•  possible table-top exercise and/or 

regional field exercise in cooperation 
with LEICA project.

For the last day, the Regional Secretariat 
for  Central  Asia  organised  a  visit  for 
to  Masgut 
interested  participants 
Aikimbayev’s  National  Scientific  Center 
for  Especially  Dangerous 
Infections 
(NSCEDI)  of  the  Ministry  of  Health  of 
the  Republic  of  Kazakhstan.  On  this 
occasion,  the  RTM  participants  has  an 
opportunity  to  get  acquainted  with  the 
NSCEDI facilities and capabilities, share 
experience  and  discuss  prospects  of 
future cooperation.

Group photo during the 14th Round Table Meeting of Central Asia (CA) held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. 

10

CEA RegionCA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022Workshop on National Action Plan Review for Uzbekistan. Credits: CA Regional Secretariat

Workshop on National Action 
Plan Review for Uzbekistan
by Nargizakhon Usmanova and 
Bakhtiyor Gulyamov

On  8-11  February  2022,  the  State 
Committee  on 
Industrial  Safety  of 
the  Republic  of  Uzbekistan  hosted    a 
workshop  with  the  national  team  of 
Uzbek experts to review and update the 
CBRN  National  Action  Plan  based  on 
the  experiences  of  the  implementation 
of  the  current  version  and  the  lessons 
learnt 
pandemics. 
The  online  event  was  attended  by 
representatives of the State Committee 
on  Industrial  Safety  of  the  Republic  of 
Uzbekistan,  experts  from  the  EU  Joint 
Research  Centre  (JRC),  UNICRI  and 
CBRN  National  Team  of  Uzbekistan, 
represented  by  various  ministries  and 
agencies  and  closely  involved  in  the 
implementation of the NAP.

COVID 

from 

The  meeting  was  opened  by  Mr.  
Bakhtiyor  Gulyamov,  Head  of 
the 
EU  CBRN  CoE  Regional  Secretariat 
for  Central  Asia,  who  welcomed  the 
participants  and  briefly  highlighted  the 
results  achieved  within  the  framework 
of  NAP  implementation  in  Uzbekistan 
during  2018-2021,  as  well  as 
the 
importance  of  the  NAP  to  ensure  the 
implementation 
international 
commitments  on  chemical,  biological, 
radiation and nuclear safety and security.

of 

While  the  first  day  of  the  working 
meeting  was  devoted  to  aspects  of 
the 
achievements  and  challenges 
implementation  of  the  NAP  for  2018-
2021,  the  second  and  third  days  made 
it  possible  for  the  experts  to  elaborate 
on  the  process  of  drafting  the  CBRN 
NAP  and  identify  some  new  specific 
actions and tasks to strengthen national 
CBRN  capabilities  and  reinforce  the 
national  regulatory  framework  to  meet 
international  commitments  under  the 
UN  resolution  1540,  CWC,  BTWC  and 
International  Atomic  Energy  Agency 
(IAEA) safeguards agreements.

Throughout  the  workshop,  the  JRC 
experts provided a hands-on training on 
needs  identification  and  prioritization 
of  actions,  with  a  focus  on  all  four 
areas  of  work  –  chemical,  biological, 
radiological and nuclear security. Overall, 
the  workshop  was  of  high 
interest 
to  the  participants  and  put  forward 
many 
interesting  proposals,  spurring 
participants  to  investigate  them  further 
on their own. 

Upon workshop completion, the National 
CBRN Team of Uzbekistan has embarked 
on the development of the new NAP for 
the  period  of  2022-2024.  It  is  expected 
that  the  new  NAP  target  a  number  of 
priorities,  such  as  preventing  the  illicit 
movement  and  proliferation  of  nuclear, 
chemical  and  biological  weapons  and 

their  means  of  delivery;  improvement 
of  the  regulatory  framework 
in  the 
field  of  chemical,  biological,  radiation 
and  nuclear  safety;  strengthening 
the  material  and  technical  base  of 
authorized  state  bodies;  organization 
of  training,  retraining  and  mentoring 
strengthening 
and 
of 
international  and  regional  cooperation 
and active exchange of experience in the 
field  of  chemical,  biological,  radiation 
and nuclear safety.

personnel; 

First Comprehensive Project 
under EU CBRN Programme 
for Central Asia and Mongolia 
Completed Successfully
By Dr. Yaugen Ryzhykauov

and 

chemical 

“Strengthening 
The  CoE  Project  65 
chemical 
biological  waste 
management  in  Central  Asia  countries 
for  improved  security  and  safety  risk 
is  a  4-year 
mitigation”  (CABICHEM) 
project  that  ended  in  December  2021. 
The  project  aimed  at  strengthening 
existing 
biological, 
including  medical,  waste  management 
capabilities 
in  the  Central  Asia  and 
Mongolia  region  to  ensure  safe  and 
secure 
transportation, 
separation, processing, storage, disposal 
and  inventory  of  hazardous  chemical 
and  biological  (C&B)  waste  originated 
by 
industry,  trade,  agriculture, 
healthcare  and  past  practices  (e.g. 

collection, 

local 

and 

11

CEA RegionCA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022dumping  sites,  obsolete  industrial  and 
agricultural sites, former military bases, 
etc.),  as  well  as  a  consequence  of 
emergency situations. 

Coordinated  by  the  Military  Institute  of 
Chemistry  and  Radiometry  (MICHR), 
and  jointly  implemented  in  cooperation 
with  Fondazione  FORMIT  (FORMIT), 
the  Institute  of  Chemical  Sciences  and 
Technologies (CNR-SCITEC), the Military 
Institute  of  Hygiene  and  Epidemiology 
(MIHE)  and  Fondazione  Alessandro 
Volta  (FAV),  the  project 
  addressed 
specific  needs  of  national  and  regional 
bodies involved in waste management in 
the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, 
and Uzbekistan to support them in: 
•  reviewing  and  evaluating  the  existing 
legislative,  regulatory  and  procedural 
chemical 
frameworks 
and  biological  waste  management 
at  regional  and  national  levels,  with 
relevant recommendations to improve 
those;

concerning 

•  evaluating the current situation in each 
Partner Country with on-site support of 
local  stakeholders,  and  developing  an 
exhaustive list of equipment needed by 
facilities and laboratories dealing with 
C&B waste in the region;

•  proposing  an  innovative  methodology 
to  detect  and  map  existing  burial  and 
abandoned  sites  in  the  Central  Asia 
region,  and  conducting  a  feasibility 
study to deploy possible remediation/
management of such sites;

•   developing  and 

training 

implementing  a 
for 
system 
sustainable 
in 
personnel  working 
selected 
hazardous 
waste  management 
facilities  and  laboratories  by  using  a 
train-the-trainer  approach  to  ensure 
and  maximise 
lifelong 
learning 
knowledge  dissemination 
in  each 
Partner  Country,  to  be  delivered  in  a 
blended  format,  i.e.  both  on-site  and 
online,  and  enhancing  awareness  on 
C&B waste management in the Central 
Asia region;

regional 

•  establishing  a 

technical 
consultation  group  to  ensure  regional 
cooperation, including after completion 
of Project 65.

12

Fact-finding mission at the waste processing facility before dumping held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (May 
2018). 

LEGISLATIVE AND PROCEDURAL 
FRAMEWORK 
Project activities started in 2018 with a 
series of fact-finding missions involving 
the participation of the consortium and 
local experts as well as representatives 
of  local  stakeholders,  combined  with 
information  and  data  collection  on 
the  existing  legislative,  regulatory  and 
procedural  frameworks  at  regional  and 
national  levels.  The  close  cooperation 
and  regular  interaction  with  National 
Focal Points and appointed local experts 
in  each  Partner  Country  enabled  the 
project  partners  to  take  stock  of,  and 
ensure  understanding  of  the  normative 
and  procedural  fora  and  approaches 
adopted  by  each  country.  This  helped 
the  project  to  conduct  an  analyses  of 
legislative  and  procedural  frameworks 
outlining  how  each  partner  country 
deals with the C&B waste management 
issue and map all stakeholders  involved 
into the process. 

The  Regional  Workshop,  conducted 
in  Tashkent  in  October  2019,  provided 
an  opportunity  to  present  analyses  of 
legislative  and  procedural  frameworks, 
discuss  in  detail  gaps  and  needs  in 
enhancing 
frameworks,  and 
elaborate jointly recommendations to be 

these 

to 

possibly  implemented  for  optimisation 
of the existing legislative and procedural 
regulations. 
this,  a 
In  addition 
thorough  mapping  of  active  chemical 
and  biological  sites, 
facilities  and 
laboratories, potentially hazardous to the 
local  population  and  the  environment, 
was performed in each partner country 
thanks  to  active  involvement  of  the 
National  Focal  Points  and  the  local 
experts  that  could  most  jeopardise  the 
local population and the environment. 

Furthermore,  project  activities  were 
focused on defining the equipment and 
materials needed to manage C&B waste 
in each of more than 30 identified sites, 
and developing more than 400 technical 
specifications for specialized equipment 
and materials. 

SITE REMEDIATION
An inventory of current historic dumping 
and  burial  sites  and  abandoned 
industrial sites with C&B waste, including 
e-waste, existing in each partner country 
was  carried  out  to  identify  the  most 
critical  sites 
remediation 
requiring 
actions  and/or  better  management 
of  hazardous  waste.  Innovative  and 
tailored  approaches  (e.g.    Assessment 
and Prioritisation Instrument) to identify 

CEA RegionCA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022for  a  more  efficient,  safe 
and  secure  management 
of  end-of-life  materials  that 
may pose a threat to human 
health and the environment. 

an 

important 

To  this  end, 
“CABICHEM 
Handbook  on  Chemical 
Biological  Waste 
and 
Management”, 
tool 
to  disseminate  best  practices  and 
guidelines  on  chemical  and  biological 
waste  management  was  developed, 
published  in  six  local  languages  of  the 
region  (i.e.  Dari,  English,  Mongolian, 
Pashto,  Russian,  and  Urdu),  and 
disseminated among professionals and 
operators  working  in  public  or  private 
sectors  dealing  with  the  generation, 
handling and final disposal of hazardous 
waste substances.

designed 

In  parallel,  a  series  of  three  training 
programmes  were 
and 
delivered  to  more  than  150  experts 
representing  each  partner  country. 
Training  programmes  were  developed 
according  to  topics  that  were  selected 
by  training  participants,  with  a  special 
focus  on  hazardous  waste  containing 
heavy  metals, 
treatment  of  animal 
carcasses, handling of electronic urban 
waste  and  management  of  biological 
waste  generated  in  COVID-19  affected 
areas. The project also featured a train-
the-trainer  approach  for  the  maximum 
knowledge  dissemination  across  the 
final end users in the Partner Countries.

Due 
to  COVID-19  pandemic  and 
associated  travel  restrictions  imposed 
since  March  2019,  all  training  activities 
were  delivered  online.  This  approach 
enabled  the  project  partners  to  further 
enhance  and  maximise  the  use  of  a 
tailored  e-learning  platform  developed 
within the framework of the project and 
will  provide  trainees  with  sustainable 
training  system  for  lifelong  learning. 
Additional  content  related  to  biological 
hazardous  materials  emanating  as 
a  result  of  COVID-19  pandemic  was 
developed  and  uploaded,  going  beyond 
the original scope of Project 65. 

13

Group participants joining the Training Programme 1 held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, (October 2019).  
RIGHT: CABICHEM Handbook on Chemical and Biological Waste Management. 

and  characterise  these  dumping  sites 
were  therefore  developed  and  shared 
with  local  experts  and  National  Focal 
Points. The local experts were asked to 
select  from  two  to  five sites  to  test  the 
methodology and collect preliminary site 
information through desk research and/
or a site survey. The obtained data were 
used to fill out the tailored Assessment 
and  Prioritisation 
(API) 
forms and prioritize the sites in terms of 
need and urgency of intervention. 

Instrument 

As  a  result  of  this  exercise,  the  most 
critical 
exposure  pathways  were 
highlighted,  which  were  useful  to  get 
an  initial  understanding  of  the  actions 
eventually  required  to  mitigate  risks. 
Based  on  the  feedback  received  from 
local  experts,  some  of  the  scores  and 
weights used in the API procedure were 
tailored  and  modified,  so  that  the  final 
scores  could  better  reflect  the  actual 
conditions  and  criticalities  on-site.  In 
addition,  remote  sensing  was  applied 
to  supplement  the 
information  and 
substantiate  case  studies  with  regard 
to,  inter  alia,    presence  and  distance 
of  contaminated  sites  to    residential 
or  commercial  areas,  and  to  identify 
the  extent  and  boundaries  of  the  site, 
and  changes  that  occured  over  time. 

This  evaluation,  carried  out  with  the 
use of freely available satellite images, 
also  helped 
to  understand  which 
specific  methodology  could  allow  to 
better  detect  potential  waste  burial 
sites 
in  a  specific  context.  Several 
methodologies,  such  as  multispectral 
and  hyperspectral  analysis,  thermal 
analysis,  and  synthetic  aperture  radar 
(SAR)  interferometry,  were  employed 
and  different 
(e.g.  dump 
indexes 
detection)  were  obtained  by  using 
open  software  packages.  Different 
remediation 
management 
and 
strategies  to  mitigate  risks  associated 
with  C&B  waste  contamination  were 
jointly 
the 
main  elements  and 
implementation 
measures to possibly opt for. 

to  highlight 

reviewed 

ON-SITE  TRAINING  AND  AWARENESS 
RAISING
Another  important  objective  of  Project 
65  was  enhancing  and  improving  the 
capability  at  national  level  to  properly 
treat  and 
identify,  handle,  manage, 
dispose  of  solid  and 
liquid  waste 
containing  chemical  and/or  biological 
hazardous  materials.  The  local  experts 
and  external  professionals  designed 
and  implemented  a  set  of  awareness 
raising  and  capacity  building  initiatives 

CEA RegionCA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022HAZARDOUS  WASTE 

REGIONAL 
CONSULTATION GROUP
In  order  to  ensure  regional  cooperation 
in  the  Central  Asia  region  after  project 
completion, a Regional Hazardous Waste 
Consultation  Group 
(RHWCG)  was 
set  up.  The  establishment  of  RHWCG 
is  the  first  step  for  institutionalizing 
consultations  on  hazardous  waste 
management at the regional level. It must 
be noted that this work is only possible 
with  full  commitment  to  coordination 
information  exchange  across 
and 
Partner  Countries.  In  November  2021 
its  first  meeting  was  held  online,  and 
resulted in the election of the members, 
discussion  of  operation  and  financial 
modalities. Mr. Otabek Kasimov, (NFP of 
Uzbekistan) was elected as Chairperson 
of RHWCG. The RHWCG is therefore set 
up to function as a discussion platform 
exchange 
where  participants  will 
opinions 
about 
and 
common  priority  issues  on  hazardous 
waste management existing at regional 
level,  and  will  develop  a  joint  roadmap 
for intervention.  

experiences 

For  any  further  updates  about  Project 
65, please visit www.cabichem.eu.

Increasing  public  awareness  on 
CBRN risks in Uzbekistan
by Bakhtiyor Gulyamov, Dr. Lela 
Bakanidze and Nargizakhon Usmanova

In  2021,  despite  several  surges  of 
COVID19  pandemic,  EU  CBRN  CoE 
Regional  Secretariat  for  Central  Asia 
had started implementation of the pilot 
interventions  among  various  groups  of 
population in Uzbekistan to increase the 
visibility of, and awareness about CBRN 
risks, within the framework of the project 
“Popularization  and  visibility  of  the  EU 
CBRN CoE Initiative among the Various 
Layers of the Population”. 

To  remind,  this  project  seeks  to  raise 
the  awareness  of  CBRN  issues  among 
children and youth through organization 
of 
lessons,  meetings  and  drawing 
competitions  around  the  topic  “Safe 

14

Group participants joining the Training Programme 1 held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, (October 2019). 

Preview of the CABICHEM e-learning platform  (www.coe65-learning.eu).

world  through  the  eyes  of  children.” 
The regional project has been regarded 
as  the  one  with  the  most  innovative 
approach 
regional 
common expertise within the EU CBRN 
CoE Initiative. 

in  utilizing 

the 

Same  as  in  other  parts  of  the  world, 
in  Central 
the  public  awareness 
Asia  on  CBRN  threats  tended  to  be 
low 
in  comparison  to  other  types 
of  emergencies  and  disasters.    The 
studies2  indicate  that  general  public 
in  terms  of 
is  frequently  confused 
the  different  effects  of  CBRN  agents, 
and  the  different  protective  measures 
that  might  be  necessary  in  relation  to 

different  types  of  CBRN  agents.  Thus, 
it  is  even  more  important  to  provide 
information  via  public 
people  with 
information 
specifically 
campaigns 
designed  to  raise  awareness  of  CBRN 
related 
Communicating 
about  the  nature  of  these  risks  and 
providing  people  with 
information 
about  actions  they  can  take  to  reduce 
their  risk  will  empower  people  to  take 
appropriate  actions  and  will  facilitate 
public  engagement  with  official  advice 

incidents. 

2H. Carter, D. Weston, C. Symons, R. Amlot, ˆ 
Public perceptions of pre-incident information 
campaign materials for the initial response to a 
chemical incident: the “Remove, Remove, Remove” 
campaign, Disaster Prev. Manag. (2019),  
https://doi. org/10.1108/DPM-10-2018-0342

CEA RegionCA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022during an incident. In order to increase 
awareness  of  the  general  public,  in 
spring 2021, the Head of the Secretariat, 
Mr. Bakhtior Gulyamov, jointly with the 
personnel  of  the  Regional  Secretariat 
for  Central  Asia  had  visited  several 
cities of Uzbekistan – Nukus, Urgench 
and Bukhara – with trainings on CBRN 
risks.  These  trainings,  designed  by  Dr. 
Lela Bakanidze, OSA expert, comprised 
of  a  series  of  lectures  for  students  of 
universities.  Dr.  Lela  Bakanidze,  OSA 
expert,    and  Ms.  Iryna  Iarema,  former 
CBRN  CoE  Regional  Coordinator  for 
Central  Asia,      delivered  trainings  for 
Karakalpakstan  State  University  (two 
separate trainings for European faculty, 
and  for  students  of  Uzbek  faculty, 
where  the  interpreter  from  Russian 
to  Uzbek 
involved), 
language  was 
Urgench  State  University,  Bukhara 
State  University  and  Bukhara  State 
Medical  Institute.  Totally  more  than 
500  students,  young  specialists  and 
faculty  members  were  trained.  The 
trainings  covered  the  following  topics: 
CBRN threats; potential consequences 
of CBRN incidents; ways in which CBRN 
agents may be transmitted; actions that 
people can take to protect themselves 
and  others  during  a  CBRN  incident; 
efficacy  of  protective  measures  that 
people can take to protect themselves 
and others during CBRN incidents and 
the importance of taking such actions. 
The  students  were  also  presented 
with information on CBRN educational 
programmes  and  summer  schools 
worldwide,  including  UNICRI’s  Master 
of Laws (LL.M.) in Transnational Crime 
and Justice. It must be mentioned that 
for these regions of Uzbekistan topics 
of CBRN safety and security were quite 
new, and all participants showed great 
interest in CBRN topics. 

Further,  the  EU  CBRN  CoE  Regional 
Secretariat for Central Asia had extensive 
meetings  with  faculty  members  of 
Karakalpakstan 
University, 
Urgench  State  University,  Bukhara 
State  University  and  Bukhara  State 
Medical  Institute  to  discuss  potential 
areas  of  cooperation,  including  support 

State 

15

Abu Ali ibn Sino Bukhara State Medical Institute. 

Bukhara State University. 

Bukhara State University. 

CEA RegionCA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022Mobile labs provided to Uzbekistan to support diagnostics of pathogens in remote regions.  
Credits: Project 53

Mobile labs provided to Uzbekistan to support 
diagnostics of pathogens in remote regions. 

and  enabling  environment  required  to 
introduce  the  course  on  CBRN  safety/
security  into  the  curricula  of  higher 
education institutions. 

P53 example of real-life benefits 
of EU CBRN CoE Projects during 
the pandemic
by the International Science and 
Technology Center

The  aim  of  the  EU  CBRN  CoE  Initiative 
to  support  partnering  countries 
is 
in  enhancing 
their  capabilities  and 
capacities  to  prepare  for,  address  and 
mitigate  the  risks  and  consequences 
of  CBRN  incidents,  whether  they  are 
natural, accidental or intentional. Project 
53,  implemented  by  the  International 
is 
Science  and  Technology  Center, 
a  concrete  example  of  how  the  CoE 
initiative  has  supported  in  a  timely  and 
effective  manner  the  preparedness  and 
management of COVID pandemics. 

Originally,  P53  started  at 
the  end 
of  2015,  with  the  primary  aim  to 
strengthen national legal frameworks of 
participating  countries,  and  to  provide 
specialised 
training  on  biosafety 
and  biosecurity  in  Central  Asian  (CA) 
countries.  Under  the  original  scope 
legislative 
of 
frameworks  were 
assessed  with 
regards  to  biosafety  and  biosecurity 
and  recommendations  were  made  to 

the  project,  national 

COVID19 diagnostics training of Kyrgyz laboratory specialist 2020/2021.

COVID19 biosafety training of medical personnel in Georgia in 2021.

16

CEA RegionCA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022training workshops (7) in these technical 
areas  within  country  and  the  region 
(reaching over 70 experts).

Additionally,  the  project  in  cooperation 
with 
the  Biosafety  Association  of 
Central Asia and the Caucuses (BACAC) 
organised  an  inter-regional  conference 
in March 2019, with participation of over 
170  experts  from  the  CA  and  South-
East  and  Eastern  European  (SEEE) 
regions  and  international  experts,  to 
support  greater  regional  cooperation 
on  biosafety/security  issues.  In  2019, 
the  project  was  further  extended  to 
provide  Uzbekistan  with  Technical 
support by IMB – Bundeswher Institute 
of Microbiology and two mobile disease 
labs 
surveillance 
to  enable  Uzbek 
specialists 
to  provide  diagnostics 
support for outbreaks in remote regions 
or perform epidemiological research.

Due  to  the  previous  activities  under 
Project 53, and it’s ongoing activities in 
2020, when the pandemic broke out there 
was  a  cadre  of  experts  in  Central  Asia 
that recently had been trained to provide 
basic biosafety training to a diverse set 
of specialists, but also in diagnostics of 
a  viral  infection,  and  trained  in  proper 
maintenance  of  diagnostic  equipment, 
all  key  capabilities  and  capacities  in 
responding to this new pandemic. 

Additionally, in response to the pandemic, 
European  Commission  was 
the 

P53 highlights how 
the EU CBRN CoE 
is supporting and 
enhancing national 
capabilities and 
capacities in Partner 
Countries to mitigate 
the consequences of an 
CBRN incident”

Biosafety/security train-the-trainer workshops 
conducted in 2017.

improve said legislative frameworks, as 
well as, regional coordination. 

from 

trainers 

However, more importantly with respect 
to  the  current  pandemic,  under  P53 
biosafety/security  training  needs  were 
identified,  and  consequently  some  of 
those  were  addressed.  As  such,  88 
the 
biosafety/security 
7  partnering  countries  were  trained 
by  a  European  consortium  (SCJS  – 
Sustainable  Criminal  Justice  Solutions, 
PHE  –  Public  Health  England,  RIVM 
-  Rijksinstituut  voor  Volksgezondheid 
en  Milieu,  and  VERTIC  –  Verification, 
Research,  Training  and 
Information 
Centre) in 2017, and these newly-trained 
trainers  then  were  supported  by  the 
project  to  conduct  over  60  training 
workshops activities (during 2018-2019) 
issues, 
on  basic  biosafety/security 
reaching  more  than  1800  specialists 
(medical,  laboratory,  veterinary,  policy, 
border  guards, 
control). 
Additionally,  biosafety  equipment  was 
provided  to  Partner  Countries,  which 
included  biosafety  cabinets,  isolation 
equipment, 
equipment 
diagnostic 
(PCR,  ELISA,  genome  sequencing),  and 
personal protection equipment (PPE). 

customs 

The  European  consortium  provided 
more  specific,  specialised  training  on 
molecular diagnostics of pathogens and 
biosafety  cabinet  maintenance  training. 
The newly trained national experts were 
supported  by  the  project  to  conduct 

instructed  to  channel  existing  funding 
to  support  Partner  Countries  in  their 
respective  response  to  the  pandemic. 
This resulted in P53 receiving additional 
funding  of  2  million  EUR  to  support  CA 
and  SEEE  Partner  Countries  in  their 
response  to  the  COVID19  crisis,  such 
as;  provision  of  related  supplies  (either 
equipment  or  PPE  supplies),  related 
training,  and  organisation  of  an  inter-
regional  conference  on  the  ‘Lessons 
Learned of the COVID19 Pandemic’. 

Even  before  this  additional  funding 
was provided to P53, Partner Countries 
expressed  their  gratitude  to  the  EU  for 

PROJECT 53

How the EU CBRN CoE is support-
ing  and  enhancing  national  capa-
bilities  and  capacities  in  Partner 
Countries:

The  project  supported  the  trainers 
that  were  trained  under  the  previ-
ous phase of the project to conduct 
training  workshops  either  in-person 
or online for specialists dealing with 
consequences of the COVID19 pan-
demic.  As  well  as,  regional  training 
workshops  are  being  implemented 
by EU and international consortia:

1COVID-related 

biosafety train-
the-trainer for 

law enforcement/

emergency response personnel/
border guards/custom control 
officers (co-funded by P53);

2Sanitary control  

and risk 
assessment 
training for medical 
facilities and 
laboratories (co-funded by P53);

3Quality 

management 
of Diagnostics 

(funded by P53).

17

CEA RegionCA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022Tentatively,  an  inter-regional  EU  CBRN 
CoE  –  BACAC  conference  “  is  planned 
for  3-7  October  2022,  Tbilisi,  Georgia, 
supported  by  P53  as  well  as  funding 
from  other  international  donor  parties, 
to discuss the lessons learned from this 
pandemic,  such  as  from  a  biosafety, 
legislative, training, medical perspective 
in order to use these lessons to be better 
prepared for the next pandemic. 

In  summary,  P53  highlights  how  the 
EU  CBRN  CoE  Initiative  is  supporting 
and  enhancing  national  capabilities 
and  capacities 
in  Partner  Countries 
to  mitigate  the  consequences  of  an 
CBRN  incident,  in  this  case  COVID-19 
pandemic.  And  although  the  Initiative 
is  mostly  focused  on  preparatory/
anticipatory 
P53 
showcases that the Initiative is also able 
to  support  the  response  to  an  ongoing 
incident and take advantage of the skills, 
frameworks  and  networks  attained  or 
supported  under  previous  projects  and 
activities.

interventions, 

Global  Laboratory  Leadership 
Programme  established  for  first 
time in Central Asia
by Dr. Joanna Zwetyenga

in 

To  lead  efforts  in  the  development  and 
direction of capable laboratory systems, 
laboratory  leaders  require  meaningful 
education  and  training 
leadership 
and  management  skills.    Six  leading 
organizations have partnered to develop 
the  Global  Laboratory  Leadership 
Programme  (GLLP),  and  WHO  Regional 
Office  for  Europe  decided  to  contribute 
to its implementation in order to identify 
and  nurture  potential  future  laboratory 
leaders  and  managers  for  Kazakhstan.  
The  GLLP  programme 
the 
principles  of  the  One  Health  approach 
which  combines  Human,  Animal  and 
Environmental  sectors  communicating 
and  working  together  to  achieve  better 
public health outcomes.  

follows 

When  initial  GLLP  in-country  validation 
in  Kazakhstan  started  in  May  2021, 
it  was  already  implemented  in  some 
other  countries,  but  this  represented 

Training conducted by newly-trained biosafety trainers for their respective countries 2018-2019 (Mongolia). 

providing  the  equipment  and  training 
under the early phase of the project, as it 
had greatly was helping them to address 
the  outbreak  of  the  pandemic  in  their 
countries.  Based  on  the  extra  funding, 
additional COVID19 specific equipment 
and  supplies,  with  a  value  of  close  to 
1  million  euro,  has  been  provided  to 
the  Partner  Countries  under  P53.  This 
includes extraction and diagnostics kits 
and equipment, disinfection equipment, 
and  PPE.  P53  highlights  how  the  EU 
CBRN CoE is supporting and enhancing 
national  capabilities  and  capacities 
in  Partner  Countries  to  mitigate  the 
consequences of an CBRN incident.

Moreover,  the  project  supported  the 
trainers that were trained under previous 
phase  of  the  project  (To  date  more 
than  150  workshops  were  conducted 
reaching  more  than  1800  specialists) 
to  conduct  training  workshops  either 

in-person  or  online 
for  specialists 
dealing with consequences of COVID19 
pandemic.  As  well  as,  regional  training 
workshops  are  being  implemented  by 
EU and international consortia:

-  COVID-related biosafety train-the-

trainer for law enforcement (Technical 
support by “TBL International) – Thin 
Blue Line International”/emergency 
response personnel/border guards/
custom control officers (co-funded 
by P53) (Technical support by 
“IQLS - Integrated Quality Laboratory 
Services”);

-  Sanitary control and risk assessment 

training for medical facilities and 
laboratories (co-funded by P53) 
(Technical support by “Fondazione 
FORMIT and the ASST Fatebenefratelli 
SACCO”);

-  Quality management of Diagnostics 

(funded by P53).

18

CEA RegionCA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022a  significant  first  for  Central  Asia,  as 
was  the  choice  of  the  modules  which 
were  also  to  be  piloted  for  the  first 
time.  Phase 1 of GLLP implementation 
in  Kazakhstan  was  composed  of  two 
modules:  Quality  Management  System 
(QMS) and Biosafety & Biosecurity, which 
are  particularly  needed  to  contribute  to 
the efforts in the response to the COVID 
19 outbreak. This first phase was funded 
by the EU CBRN CoE initiative.

In  April  2021,  5  Kazakhstan  national 
experts  were  selected  as  facilitators  to 
train  and  mentor  15  potential  laboratory 
managers  who  were  chosen  in  May 
2021  from  the  veterinary,  public  health, 
and  clinical  sectors.    Working  alongside 
and  supported  by  the  WHO,  facilitators 
had  prime  responsibility  for  preparing 
materials  in  order  to  train  those  15 
participants  with  specific  modules  on 
Quality Management Systems (QMS) and 
Biosafety & Biosecurity.  The participants 
were  also  given  6  months  to  research 
and  prepare  individual  theses  on  their 
chosen, 
they 
presented and defended at a meeting on 
25-26 November in Almaty, Kazakhstan – 
to a judging panel made up of facilitators, 

topics  which 

relevant 

The GLLP will  
create a new, 
sustainable generation 
of laboratory leaders 
and managers not only 
in Kazakhstan but 
also in other countries 
where strong interest is 
being expressed.

WHO  and  CDC  experts.  The  GLLP  will 
create  a  new,  sustainable  generation  of 
laboratory leaders and managers not only 
in Kazakhstan but also in other countries 
where strong interest is being expressed.”
Participants  spoke  over  a  busy  and 
varied  2-day  agenda  on  a  range  of 
subjects including Quality management, 
Biosafety/Biosecurity,  notably 
in  the 
context  of 
the  COVID-19  outbreak 
response.    At  the  end  of  each  day, 
presentations  were  judged  by  an  open 

discussion  and  analysis  of  the  scores 
awarded  for  each  presentation.  Scores 
were  based  not  only  on  quality  of 
content  but  also  presentation  style  and 
technique  with  an  overall  exceptionally 
high rating.  3 of the 15 highest scoring 
GLLP participants will now be selected to 
be promoted at future WHO conferences 
and for potential individual publication.

At  the  end  of  day  2,  participants  were 
presented  with  a  GLLP  certificate  as 
well  as  a  national  registered  certificate 
which  also  counts  towards  continuous 
development.  
education/professional 
The  Almaty  meeting 
represented 
successful  completion  of    Phase  1  of 
GLLP  implementation  in  Kazakhstan.  
An evaluation of Phase 1 by participants 
and  facilitators  was  extremely  positive 
and also included recommendations on 
how to improve future modules. 

The GLLP will create a new, sustainable 
generation  of  laboratory  leaders  and 
managers  not  only  in  Kazakhstan  but 
also  in  other  countries  where  strong 
interest 
is  being 
in  the  programme 
expressed.

Welcoming speech by Youri Skaskevitch, Attaché  
to the EU Delegation.

Dr Joanna Zwetyenga, Lab Team Lead for Incident 
Management.

Kairat Tabynov presents his ‘Review of current requirements for the use of PPE in the context of COVID-19 
in highly secured laboratories secured laboratories’.

19

CEA RegionCA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022and  Response  for  Mass  Gatherings 
and  other  Health  Threats  in  Central 
Asia  (P87-PRECA),  that  kicked  off  its 
implementation  in  2021,  presents  a 
series  of  activities  that  will  strengthen 
and  empower  health  preparedness 
and  response  in  the  region,  to  deal 
with  mass  gatherings.  The  project, 
developed  in  a  joint  and  coordinated 
manner, is financed by European Union 
within  the  framework  of 
its  CBRN 
Risk  Mitigation  Centre  of  Excellence 
Initiative,  and  embraces  6  Partner 
Countries of Central Asia region, namely, 
Kazakhstan,  Kyrgyzstan,  Mongolia, 
Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It is 
implemented  by  International  Science 
and Technology Centre (ISTC). 

More specifically, P87 works towards:
a)  improving  Infection  Prevention  and 
Control  (IPC)  at  mass  gatherings 
by  improving  the  safety  of  food  and 
water through food hygiene training.
b)  guarding  against  chemical  threats 
by  developing  Poison  Information 
Centres. 

c)  ensuring that Public Health Command, 
Control  and  Communication  (C3) 
systems  provide  rapid,  regular,  and 
transparent communications.

d)  ensuring 

that  Mass  Gatherings’ 
stakeholders are properly resourced.

The  project  envisages  development 
and  delivery  of  a  series  of  training 

programs,  workshops  and  exercises 
to  test  and  improve  capabilities  of 
stakeholders  in  participating  countries 
and  will  implement  regional  activities 
to strengthen health preparedness and 
response networks within Central Asia.

At  its  onset  in  2021,  COVID-19  has 
prevented  travel  to  the  region  and 
training 
caused  postponement  of 
events.  Yet,  along  with 
initial  kick-
off  meetings  for  the  whole  region,  as 
well  as  bilateral  meetings  with  each 
participating  country  team,  there  are 
some  notable  achievements  of  the 
project,  such  as  development  of  Train 
the  Trainer  course  material  for  each 
Work  Package,  and  rapid  development 
and  subsequent  delivery  of  a  series 
of  on-line  webinars.  The  project  has 
managed  to  bring  on  board  WHO  and 
International  Finance 
World  Bank’s 
Corporation’s 
Safety 
Food 
(IFC) 
Advisory  Program  as  observers  to  the 
project  implementation  and  agreed  on 
sharing  of  information  resources.  The 
project  has  liaised  with  UK’s TOXBASE 
(Poison  Information  Centers’  chemical 
database)  and  ensured  that  access  to 
this database is granted to public health 
professionals in Partner Countries.

In  2022,  the  project  plans  to  deliver 
Train  the  Trainer  course  for  over  100 
participants 
from  all  participating 
countries,  that  will  be  followed  by 
national  training  events  mentored  by 
Consortium  Experts.  The  Regional 
Working Groups for each work package 
will  be  set  up  to  further  assess  needs 
in  equipment  and  will 
facilitate 
development  of  related  SOPs.  Further, 
national and regional training programs, 
workshops,  seminars  and  exercises 
will  be  held  to  develop  and  strengthen 
response 
health  preparedness  and 
networks.  In  2022,  the  project  will 
also  focus  on  development  of  a  basic 
system  of  fast  information  exchange 
during a mass gathering event or crisis, 
and  will  facilitate  country  agreements 
for mutual support.  

Highlights of P87: 
Preparedness and Response 
for Mass Gatherings and other 
Health Threats in Central Asia 
(PRECA) 
By Andrew Proudlove and Nargizakhon 
Usmanova

are 

gatherings 

events 
“Mass 
characterized  by 
the  concentration 
of  people  at  a  specific  location  for  a 
specific  purpose  over  a  set  period  of 
time  that  have  the  potential  to  strain 
the planning and response resources of 
the host country or community” (WHO, 
2021.  Key  planning  recommendations 
for  mass  gatherings  in  the  context  of 
COVID-19 Interim guidance).

The range of types of mass gatherings is 
wide, from sports, music, entertainment, 
business  or  religious  events,  to  large 
conferences  and  meetings,  associated 
with large participation, multiple venues, 
international  travel,  prolonged  duration 
and high visibility. Mass gatherings can 
have real benefits.

increased 

However, in the context of the COVID-19 
pandemic,  mass  gatherings  can  be 
associated  with 
risk  of 
transmission  of  COVID-19;  in  addition, 
they  may  stretch  and  strain 
the 
planning  and  response  resources  and 
be  associated  with  disruptive  impacts 
on  health  services.  The  Preparedness 

P87’s initial consultation meeting with Mongolia.

20

CEA RegionCA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022EASTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA

By ECA Regional Secretariat and Dr. Reychad Abdool

Overview of plenary during the ECA Regional Secretariat Official Inauguration in Nairobi, Kenya.

ECA Regional Secretariat Of-
ficial Inauguration  
by  ECA Regional Secretariat

After  joining  the  EU  CBRN  CoE,  the 
Government  of  Kenya  had  generously 
offered  to  host  the  Regional  Secretariat 
for the Eastern and Central Africa (ECA) 
region.    Soon,  office  space  was  already 
informally  and  a  Head  of 
provided 
Secretariat  (HoS)  designated  for  the 
benefit  of  the  region.    On  9  November 
2021,  the  Kenya  Nuclear  Regulatory 
Authority  (KNRA)  and  UNICRI  signed  a 
Memorandum  of  Understanding  (MoU) 
describing  the  hosting  of  the  Regional 
Secretariat  within 
the  new  KNRA 
Headquarters,  and  thereby  formalising 
this long-standing partnership.  

It  was  decided  that  the  Inauguration 
event  would  take  place  shortly  after, 

  The  year  2022 

on  2  December  2021,  to  maximise 
on  the  potential  visibility  and  level  of 
participation. 
is  an 
election  year  in  Kenya,  when  the  focus 
historically shifts to other priorities at the 
higher levels of government.  In addition, 
the  Christmas  period  was  approaching, 
so  the  first  week  of  December  was  the 
most logical time for the event.

The  space  that  is  allocated  for  the 
Regional  Secretariat  office 
is  within 
the  brand  new  KNRA  Headquarters  in 
the  KASNEB  Towers  in  Nairobi.    With 
the  approaching 
inauguration  of  the 
Regional  Secretariat,  the  pressure  was 
also on the KNRA to inaugurate its new 
offices in the remaining time.  The Head 
of  Secretariat,  Mr.  Joseph  Maina,  also 
being the Director General of the KNRA, 
decided that both offices would best be 
inaugurated during the same event. 

Inauguration day: a festive showcase of 
CBRN success stories

In  a  race  against  the  clock,  all  the 
necessary  preparations  were  made, 
invitations  sent  and  visibility  materials 
prepared.    The  main  event  hall  of  the 
KASNEB  Towers  in  Nairobi,  where  the 
KNRA  and  Regional  Secretariat  are 
located on the 9th floor, was transformed 
into  a  festive  showcase  of  the  different 
elements of the EU CBRN CoE.

(NFP) 
The  National  Focal  Points 
represented  the  network  in  the  region, 
supported by the ECA regional factsheet 
and  Partner  Countries  posters.    The 
CBRN  National  Action  Plan 
(NAP) 
important 
posters  highlighted 
support CoE offers to Partner Countries 
in  developing  a  strategy  for  mitigating 
CBRN risks.  The posters highlighting all 

the 

CBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022

21

ECA RegionECA REGIONGroup photo during the ECA Regional Secretariat Official Inauguration in Nairobi, Kenya.

the projects of CoE (kindly developed by 
JRC),  together  with  the  success  stories 
presented some of the tangible results of 
the collaboration.  

in  one  of 

two-
The  KNRA  commissioned  a 
page  supplement 
the 
national  newspapers  on  the  day  of  the 
inauguration  and  organised  a  televised 
interview,  to  inform  the  public  about 
CBRN CoE and the Regional Secretariat.  
The  National  Disaster  Management 
Unit  (NDMU)  of  Kenya  submitted  a 
video  summary  of  a  CBRN  exercise 
they conducted.  UNICRI provided short 
videos  on  the  MoU  signing  ceremony 
and interviews with NFPs.  Altogether a 
very  concentrated  serving  of  excellent 
information  during  the  morning  of  the 
inauguration. 

The  EU  was  represented  during  the 

Inauguration  by  Ms.  Henriette  Geiger, 
who  recently  moved  from  her  position 
at DG International Partnerships (INTPA) 
where she oversaw the whole CBRN CoE 
Initiative, to become Head of Delegation 
in Kenya.  Her passionate and convincing 
speech  on  her  support  for  the  concept 
of  CBRN  CoE  and  our  partners  in  the 
network  was  very  well  received  by  the 
participants.The  Regional  Secretariat  is 
preparing  to  open  its  doors  to  national 
and regional thematic discussions in the 
near future.

the  Government 

For 
of  Kenya, 
representatives  from  the  Ministry  of 
Interior  and  Ministry  of  Health  also 
reiterated their support to the CBRN CoE 
Initiative.  The Head of Secretariat, CBRN 
National  Focal  Point  of  Kenya,  Mr.  Ali 
Gakweli, and the Chairman of the KNRA, 
Mr. Erastus Gatebe, provided their views 

The Regional 
Secretariat is preparing 
to open its doors to 
national and regional 
thematic discussions in 
the near future.”

on  the  way  forward  for  the  Regional 
Secretariat and the role of Kenya in the 
CBRN CoE Initiative.  The NFP of Kenya 
also  provided  a  summary  of  the  key 
elements  of  the  finalised  draft  CBRN 
NAP  for  Kenya  that  will  be  submitted 
for formal adoption.  Once adopted this 
would be another success story for the 
ECA region.

22

ECA RegionECA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022After the ribbon-cutting, the participants 
lingered  with  a  strong  interest  in  the 
informational  posters. 
  Subsequently, 
there were lively conversations between 
the  NFPs  and  other  participants 
during  the  coffee  break.    Altogether, 
the  event  was  extremely  successful 
in  showcasing  EU  CBRN  CoE  and 
celebrating  the  important  contributions 
of  the  Government  of  Kenya  and  the 
KNRA.  Now, the Regional Secretariat is 
preparing  to  open  its  doors  to  national 
and regional thematic discussions in the 
near future.

ECA 15th Regional Round Table 
Meeting in Nairobi      
by  ECA Regional Secretariat

After  two  years  of  virtual  and  remote 
contact, 
the  National  Focal  Points 
(NFPs) for the Eastern and Central Africa 
(ECA) region finally had the opportunity 
to meet each other again in person.  The 
15th  Regional  Round  Table  Meeting 
(RTM) for the region took place in Nairobi 
from 30 November to 3 December 2021 
where  hands were shook again, stories 
recounted, 
experiences 
exchanged, 
drinks  shared  and  our 
friendships 
strengthened.  

The  NFPs  prepared  presentations  on 
the  following  four  questions:    1)  are 
there  examples  of  recent  CBRN-related 
incidents that affected your country?  2) 
What is the status of the (draft) NAP and 
next steps planned?  3) Give an overview 
of  the  National  CBRN  Response  Plans 
that  exist.    4)  What  does  your  current 
CBRN National Team look like?
To make the meeting more dynamic, the 
presentations  were  prepared  in  poster 
format  this  time  and  the  participants 
moved  through  the  room  from  poster 
to  poster  as  each  NFP  presented.  
Additional 
information  and  opinions 
were  captured  from  the  participants 
using  quick-polls,  where  each  NFP  can 
vote  on  specific  responses  to  certain 
statements  or  questions.    This  also 
stimulated  lively  discussions  amongst 
the NFPs.

Overview of plenary during the ECA Regional Secretariat Official Inauguration in Nairobi, Kenya.

Poster presentation during the 15th Regional Round Table Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.

thematic  sessions 

The 
included  a 
presentation  by  JRC  on  the  remote 
support  on  NAQ/NAP  workshops  and 
a  presentation  by  the  On-Site  technical 
Assistance  (OSA)  expert  on  the  current 
status  of  the  draft  terms  of  reference 
for  the  upcoming  bio  project  for  the 
region.  There  were  also  introductory 
presentations  by  invited  speakers  from 
three  different  Africa  Union  bodies 
and  a  presentation  by  the  1540  Africa 
Coordinator of United Nations Office for 
Disarmament  Affairs  (UNODA).    These 
presentations  led  to  discussions  and 
ideas for future follow-up.

The  highlight  of 
the  Round  Table 
Meeting, however, was the Inauguration 
Ceremony  for  the  Regional  Secretariat 

(MoU)  between 

office  for  the  ECA  region.    Following 
the  signing  of  a  Memorandum  of 
the 
Understanding 
hosting  institution,  the  Kenya  Nuclear 
Regulatory  Authority 
(KNRA),  and 
UNICRI  on  9  November  2021,  the 
inauguration  was  planned 
official 
on  2  December  2021.  The  Regional 
Secretariat  office  is  hosted  within  the 
new KNRA Headquarters offices.

During the Inauguration Ceremony both 
offices were formally inaugurated in the 
presence of the NFPs and 60 additional 
guests  from  the  Government  of  Kenya, 
EU, UN, Africa Union and the diplomatic 
community.    It  was  important  that  the 
NFPs  could  be  part  of  this  event  and 
at  the  same  time  the  other  invitees 

23

ECA RegionECA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022could recognise the regional dimension 
and  importance  of  the  EU  CBRN  CoE 
Initiative. 

The last day of the meeting was dedicated 
to  the  two  ongoing  projects  in  the  ECA 
region  on  Support  on  Nuclear  Security 
(P60),  and  Falsified  and  Substandard 
Medicines (MEDISAFE, P66).  Both project 
Team Leaders joined the meeting, which 
was appreciated by the participants.  Both 
projects  are  progressing  well  and  the 
Team  Leaders  discussed  with  the  NFPs 
how  to  finalise  their  project  activities  in 
the coming period.

The  Kenya  Medical  Research  Institute 
(KEMRI), member of the CBRN National 
Team of Kenya, kindly offered to provide 
the PCR tests that were required for the 
return travel of the NFPs.  This is a fine 
example  of  how  partners  in  our  CoE 
network can support each other, and the 
Regional Secretariat greatly appreciates 
the support given by KEMRI.

Although  virtual  meetings  have  their 
merits  (and  are  surely  here  to  stay), 
participating  in  this  long  awaited  in-
person  meeting  with  the  friends  and 
colleagues  from  the  region  reminded 
us  that  the  relationships  and  trust  that 
we  have  built  together,  and  that  are 
fundamental  to  the  success  of  the  EU 
CBRN  CoE,  require  personal  contact  to 
maintain.  Everyone agreed that coming 
together  after  such  a  long  time  really 
boosted the morale.  

This long awaited 
in-person meeting 
reminded us that the 
relationships and 
trust that we have 
built together require 
personal contact  
to maintain.

24

Combating illicit trafficking  
and enhancing the safety of 
medicines in ECA region:  
MEDISAFE’s progress      
by  Dr. Reychad Abdool

The First On Line Training on Definition, 
Identification  and  Control  of  Sub-
standard  and  Falsified  Medicines 
and  Health  Products  (SFMHP)  were 
conducted 
in  5  MEDISAFE  Partner 
Countries in 2021: namely, in Malawi (4-5 
March),  Zambia  (15-16  April),  Uganda 
(20-21  May),  Ghana  (17-18  June)  and 
Democratic  Republic  of  Congo  (22-23 
September).

These  On  Line  Technical  Seminars 
together  an  average  of 
brought 
25  participants 
from  each  partner 
country  and  welcomed  ministries  of 
Health,  National  Medicines  Regulatory 
Authorities,  CBRN  staff,  NGOs  and  the 
private sector. 

to  address 

In  order  to  support  the  efforts  of 
Partner  Countries 
the 
COVID-19  pandemic,  a  new  module 
on  Supply  Chain  Security  (SCS)  of 
pharmaceuticals  was  developed.  An 
Assessment Tool is under-development 
to  make  a  comprehensive  evaluation 
of  the  robustness  of  Partner  Countries’ 
identify 
SCS  system  and  circuit,  to 
weaknesses  and  gaps  and  formulate 
recommendations to address them. It is 
expected  that  the  tool  will  be  piloted  in 
Malawi and the Democratic Republic of 
Congo in April 2022.

In  addition,  6  On  Line  Technical 
Seminars  for  the  legal  profession  on 
Best  Legislative  Practices  on  Sub-
standard  and  Falsified  Medicines  were 
conducted 
in  Ethiopia  (25-
26  February),  Burundi  (22-23  March), 
Malawi  (8-9  April),  Ghana  (6-7  June), 
Uganda  (24-25  June),  Zambia  (20-21 
July) and Democratic Republic of Congo 
(23-24 September). 

in  2021 

in 
of  Health,  Police,  Customs  and 
some  countries  the  Interpol  National 
Control  Bureau.  The  training  included 
an  in-depth  review  and  analysis  of  the 
countries  legislation  on  SFM  against 
the  backdrop  of  the  Council  of  Europe 
Medicrime Convention, identifying gaps 
and  proposing  recommendations  to 
either adopt the Convention, update the 
current legislation or develop a new one.
This  first  round  of  training  in  all  11 
Partner Countries was completed by an 
In Person Training in Dar es Salaam on 
25-26 January 2022. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  1.5  hour  of  each 
training  session  was  devoted  to  draft 
an Action Plan to tackle SFMHP with a 
focus on the MEDISAFE Work Packages, 
namely  Awareness  Raising,  Legal 
Inter-
Framework,  Capacity  Building, 
Agency  Collaboration, 
International 
Cooperation 
Pharmaceutical 
Supply  Chain  Security.  10  Partner 
Countries have refined their Action Plan 
and  Tanzania  is  expected  to  follow  in 
2022. 

and 

10 of the 11 Medisafe Partner Countries 
have developed the most comprehensive 
situational  assessment 
through  a 
SFMHP  Country  Factsheet  in  the  legal, 
pharmaceutical  and  law  enforcement 
sectors.  Tanzania  is  expected  to  carry 
out this exercise in 2022.

8  Partner  Countries  have  conducted 
an  awareness  raising  event  on  SFMHP 
for  an  average  of  30  Women  Civil 
Society  Organizations  in  each  country 
to  educate  women  about  the  dangers 
of  using  such  medicines  and  for  them 
to  disseminate  this 
information  and 
knowledge  obtained  with  their  families, 
their membership and the community at 
large  to  protect  them.  The  3  remaining 
events  of  the  first  round  of  this  activity 
were  planned  in  2022  for Tanzania  and 
Rwanda (both on 27 January 2022) and 
Zambia (15 February 2022). 

This  activity  brought  together  lawyers 
from  Ministry  of  Justice,  the  Attorney 
General’s  Office,  the  Judiciary,  Ministry 

Medisafe  held  an  in  person  meeting 
with  National  Focal  Points  in  Nairobi 
in  December  2022  back-to-back  with  a 

ECA RegionECA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022 
major event. It was a unique opportunity 
to  meet  9  NFPs  and  their  Delegated 
Members,  and  to  establish  a  personal 
relationship  with 
them.  A  detailed 
presentation  of  the  project  was  made, 
its  report  was  presented  to  them  and 
the 2022-2023 work plan presented and 
discussed.  Their  inputs  were  taken  on 
board.

An  institutional  video  of  the  Medisafe 
project  will  be  produced  in  the  first 
quarter  of  2022,  both  in  French  and 
English-speaking  countries  (Kenya  and 
DRC)  in  order  to  highlight  the  impact 
of  the  project  over  the  years  and  to 
show  the  testimony  of  beneficiaries 
and  members  of  the  international  and 
regional team.

A MEDISAFE Communication Strategy is 
currently under gestation. A survey with 
the public, health professionals and law 
enforcement personnel was foreseen in a 
sample of Partner Countries in February 
2022 to inform the development of this 
strategy.

MEDISAFE successfully negotiated with 
INTERPOL 
Intellectual 
International 
Property Crime Investigators College for 
Partner Countries to benefit from its On 
Line  training.  7  countries  have  enrolled 
and 2 more were to join in January 2022.
training 
A  Law  Enforcement 

(LE) 

curriculum  consisting  of  11  specialized 
modules is under development. The first 
LE  training  to  address  organized  crime 
related  to  the  identification  and  control 
of  SFMHP  was  planned  in  Mombasa, 
Kenya on 14-18 February 2022. 2 more 
sub-regional 
together  with 
training, 
regional partners, are planned in 2022.

institutional 

in  place  all  the 
Medisafe  has  put 
organizational, 
and 
partnership structures in all the Partner 
Countries  and  has  made  excellent 
progress  to  achieve  its  objectives  and 
fulfil  its  mission  with  the  help  of  its 
international consortium and partners.  

7 - MEDISAFE NFP Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, 03/12/2021.

25

ECA RegionECA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022GULF COOPERATION  
COUNCIL COUNTRIES

By Peter Clevestig and Adil Radoini

New projects and activities to 
address chemical and biological 
risks in the GCC Region
by Peter Clevestig, Adil Radoini

The recent activities of the EU CBRN CoE 
Regional Secretariat for the Gulf Cooper-
ation Council (GCC) region have focused 
on  gaining  momentum  for  new  projects 
for the coming 3 years that are targeted 
to  address  chemical  (C)  and  biological 
(B)  risks  by  leveraging  the  experiences 
gained  during  the  management  of  the 
COVID-19 pandemic. 

Building  upon  the  Project  82,  which 
aimed to enhance medical preparedness 
towards  CBRN  mass  casualty  events, 
several  project  ideas  have  been  put  for-
ward and discussed with the GCC Partner 
Countries during two consecutive region-
al round-table meetings, held on 14 June 
and  1  September  2021.  The  proposed 
projects aim to expand C and B activities 
in the region to address multiple aspects 
of  risk  mitigation  while  also  being  inter-
connected,  such  as  the  assessing  and 

strengthening of laboratory capacities for 
new and emerging diseases in the region 
and, simultaneously, the enhancing of bi-
osafety and biosecurity practices among 
professionals. 

Activities  related  to  chemical  risk  reduc-
tion involve a holistic and multi sectorial 
approach to sound management of haz-
ardous chemicals. In 2022, the Regional 
secretariat  will  propose  discussions 
through  bilateral  meetings  with  national 
teams  to  identify  new  project  ideas  fos-
tering  interregional  cooperation  among 
Gulf countries. 

Two  important  virtual  training  sessions 
were held during 2021 to enhance region-
al capacities in the chemical and biologi-
cal fields. Through the support of ENCO, 
a four-day virtual course was held on Ra-
diological Safety & Security between 17 – 
20 May, with 35 attendees from the GCC 
region.  Another  ENCO  virtual  training 
course was held between 23 - 24 June on 
the  subject  of  chemical  substance  risks 
and  their  minimization,  which  was  also 

Regional round table meeting held virtually in June 2021.  Credits: GCC Regional Secretariat.

26

attended  by  representatives  of  the  GCC 
Partner Countries. 

On  10  -  12  October,  the  Regional  Secre-
tariat for the GCC participated in the IN-
TERPOL  Biosecurity  Initiative  Enhancing 
Biological  Incident  Prevention  tabletop 
exercise in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emir-
ates. The three-day meeting gathered all 
key  government  entities  to  the  exercise, 
which  entailed  five  scenarios  with  in-
creasing  complexity  in  the  coordination 
and management of, as well as in the first 
response to, an (accidental or intentional) 
biological treat. The meeting also aimed 
at  enhancing  cooperation  in  the  region 
with  key  international  organizations  en-
gaged in law enforcement and CBRN risk 
reduction.

“The CBRN Hub has started establishing a 
regional and international pool of experts 
in  CBRN  risk  management  to  enhance 
the availability of key competencies”

The  CBRN  Hub,  in  partnership  with  the 
GCC  Regional  Secretariat,  has  started 
establishing  a  regional  and  international 
pool  of  experts  in  CBRN  risk  manage-
ment  to  enhance  the  availability  of  key 
competencies in order to address related 
needs in the region. Building on the part-
nership  with  the  European  Commission, 
the  JRC  and  UNICRI,  as  well  as  interna-
tional  organizations,  the  expert  pool  will 
aim  to  support  national  and/or  regional 
activities, provide advice for government 
entities  on  request,  and  further  comple-
ment  the  training  activities  of  the  CBRN 
Hub.   

GCC RegionGCC REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022MIDDLE EAST

By Adil Radoini, Alice Rena, Günter Povoden, Katy Carroll and BAFA

Improving first response to a 
CBRN terrorist threat: Lebanon’s 
ARZ 2021 field exercise
by Adil Radoini, Alice Rena, Günter 
Povoden

Despite the challenges faced by Lebanon 
over  the  last  years  –  including  the 
COVID-19 pandemic and the tragic Port 
of  Beirut  explosions  in  August  2020,  in 
which more than 200 people were killed 
and  many  more  wounded  -  the  country 
is  investing  resources  and  adopting  a 
systematic approach to tackle chemical, 
biological, 
radiological  and  nuclear 
(CBRN)  threats. The  explosion  in  Beirut 
triggered  numerous  CBRN 
related 
missions  in  order  to  secure  hazardous 
materials  and  to  assess  the  damage 
of  CBRN  related  infrastructure.  First 
responders and specialized units gained 
a  lot  of  experience  and  many  of  them 
were  also  involved  in  the  ARZ  2021 
exercise.

last 

and 

decade, 

reliability 

Lebanon’s 
the 
In 
commitment 
has 
enabled  the  country  to  attract  the 
interest  of  multiple  external  partners  to 
support  Lebanese  in  building  national 
capabilities  in  the  field  of  CBRN  risk 
mitigation.  These  partners  include  the 
European  Union,  the  United  Nations, 
Italy, France, Canada, the United States, 
as  well  as  many  other  national  and 
international  organizations.  Through 
Lebanon’s national commitment and the 
support  of  international  partnerships, 
an  impressive  number  of  projects  were 
implemented  under  the  coordination 
of  Dr  Bilal  Nsouli,  appointed  ten  years 
ago  as  the  first  official  CBRN  National 
Coordinator  for  Lebanon  and  National 
Focal  Point  for  the  European  Union 
(EU) CBRN Centres of Excellence (CoE) 
Initiative.

CBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022

27

CBRN Counter terrorism field exercise in Lebanon.

MIE RegionMIE REGIONTerror laboratory simulating chemical warfare 
agent production.

VIP extraction.

Illicit storage site.

Arrested terrorist before decontamination.

Beirut Fire Fighters managing the chemical release.

Beirut Fire Fighters managing the chemical release.

During such a short period, the country 
has  been  able  to  reach  significant 
achievements.  Under  the 
leadership 
of  Dr  Nsouli,  Lebanon  established  a 
functioning 
CBRN 
National  Team,  composed  of  all 
relevant  agencies  in  charge  of  building 
a comprehensive CBRN policy to detect, 
prevent  and  respond  to  CBRN  risks. 
In  2016,  the  CBRN  National  Team  of 

inter-ministerial 

Lebanon  produced  a  National  Action 
Plan  (NAP),  a  strategic  document  that 
defines  the  priority  objectives  in  the 
field  of  CBRN  Risk  Mitigation,  that  was 
endorsed  by  the  Presidency  of  Council 
of Ministers as the main national policy 
instrument  in  the field of  CBRN. Due to 
the progress  achieved in  the last  years, 
the  National  CBRN  Action  Plan  will  be 
updated  in  2022,  based  on  the  gained 

experiences  and  developed  CBRN 
capacities.

CBRN  Terrorism  was  identified  as  a 
national priority for Lebanon, as well as 
a  Field  Exercise  to  test  the  capacities 
of  Lebanon  to  tackle  CBRN  threats, 
which was one of the activities foreseen 
in  the  NAP.  In  this  regard,  after  few 
postponements due to the pandemic, a 

28

MIE RegionMIDDLE EASTCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  20224-day inter-agency Chemical, Biological, 
Radiological and  Nuclear  Field Exercise 
“ARZ 2021” was held in Beirut, Lebanon, 
on  6-9  December  2021  under  the 
patronage of the President of the Council 
of Ministers of Lebanon.

terrorists  before  the  planned  attack 
and  detect,  identify  and  secure  CBRN 
materials  and  precursors  for  chemical 
warfare agents, toxins and explosives in 
illicit laboratories and storage sites. 

to 

test 

Two  full-day  scenarios  focused  on 
countering CBRN terrorism
ARZ  2021’s  aim  was 
the 
capacities  of  relevant  stakeholders  and 
interagency  coordination 
to  promote 
to  prevent,  detect 
and  cooperation 
and  counter  CBRN  risks.  The  format 
consisted  of  two  full-days-scenarios 
(7  and  8  December)  in  addition  to  a 
preparatory  meeting  with  a  safety  and 
security  briefing  for  all  participants  on 
6  December,  and  a  closing  ceremony 
held on 9 December. The scenarios were 
developed and implemented to simulate 
real case situations to test the decision-
making  process,  the  coordination  and 
the capabilities of all the actors involved 
in the first response during the different 
phases of a CBRN terrorism emergency.
The first scenario simulated an incident 
in  an  illicit  hazardous  material  storage 
and terrorist laboratory where chemical 
and  biological  warfare  agents,  dirty 
bombs  and  explosive  devices  were 
produced.  Preventing  CBRN 
terror 
attacks  requires  CBRN  awareness  and 
disrupting terrorists` activities at an early 
stage. This  was  simulated  by  providing 
CBRN intelligence to connect the dots. A 
major part of the exercise was to arrest 

ARZ takes one step further in-
teragency cooperation

the 

(FPI)  of 

ARZ 2021 was funded by the Directorate 
for  Foreign  Policy 
General  Service 
the  European 
Instruments 
Commission  within 
framework 
of  the  EU  CBRN  CoE  Initiative.  Under 
the  guidance  of  the  EU  CBRN  CoE 
National  Focal  Point  of  Lebanon,  the 
exercise  was  co-organized  by 
the 
United  Nations  Interregional  Crime  and 
Justice  Research 
(UNICRI) 
in  collaboration  with  the  International 
Science  and  Technology  Center  (ISTC), 
Fondazione  SAFE  and 
the  On-Site 
Assistance  Expert  of  the  Middle  East 
Regional Secretariat. 

Institute 

Taking  into  consideration  the  complexity 
of such incidents and the CBRN specific 
capabilities  and  expertise  required  to 
effectively  respond  to  such  threats,  the 
national  stakeholders 
in  the 
exercise  represented  different  sectors, 
institutions  and  agencies,  including  the 
Beirut  Fire  Fighters,  the  Civil  Defence, 
the  Internal  Security  Forces  including 
the  Governmental  Guard,  the  Lebanese 
Atomic Energy Commission, the Lebanese 

involved 

First responder from the ARZ field exercise

Armed Forces and the Red Cross. 

In  the  planning  phase,  more  than  20 
meetings,  both  virtually  and  in  person 
to  coordinate  and 
were  necessary 
synchronize  the  efforts  and  to  support 
the  preparation  of  all  necessary 
documents;  for 
the  main 
incident/event  list,  a  guide  for  the  role 
players  to  make  the  simulations  as 
realistic as possible, an exercise manual 
for  the  participants,  evaluation  sheets 
and an exercise factsheet. 

instance, 

overall 

representing 

development 

The 
and 
implementation  of  the  field  exercise 
was  evaluated  by  a  team  of  selected 
evaluators 
relevant 
organizations and institutions operating 
in the field of CBRN risk mitigation, such 
as (in alphabetical order): French Police, 
INTERPOL,  Italian  Army,  NATO  School, 
OPCW  and  SCK  CEN.  The  high-level 
expertise  and  the  supportive  attitude 
of  the  evaluators  team,  have  been 
fundamental to translate the impressive 
work  done  by  all  the  stakeholders 
involved  in  the  exercise  into  concrete 
indications for future work, improvement 
and cooperation. 

from 

Representatives 
international 
organizations  and  countries  attended 
as observers, namely from the European 
Commission, Canada, the United States, 
the  League  of  Arab  States  and  the 
United  Nations  Department  of  Safety 
and Security (UNDSS).

ARZ 2021 is a great example of how the 
combination of national commitment and 
international cooperation can be effective 
if  all  the  stakeholders  and  partners  join 
forces  towards  achieving  a  common 
goal which, in this case, was to improve 
the capacities of Lebanese stakeholders 
to  tackle  the  CBRN  terrorism  threat.  It 
also  showed  that  the  effort  of  the  EU 
CBRN  Centres  of  Excellence  Initiative  in 
Lebanon  was  successful  in  promoting 
the  creation  of  an  institutional  setting 
that  paved  the  way  to  build  technical 
capacities and reinforced the interagency 
coordination and cooperation.

CBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022

29

MIE RegionMIE REGION  
  
 
Towards a sustainable CBRN risk 
mitigation policy in Lebanon 
By Adil Radoini and Katy Carroll  
– Featured on F3 Magazine

An interview with Dr Bilal Nsouli, 
the first CBRN National Coor-

dinator, on his 
perspective 
towards a holistic 
approach in the 
area of CBRN 
governance

Ten  years  ago,  before  Dr.  Bilal  Nsouli 
assumed  his  post  as  the  first  official 
Chemical,  Biological,  Radiological  and 
Nuclear (CBRN) National Coordinator for 
Lebanon and the National Focal Point for 
the European Union (EU) CBRN Centres 
little 
(CoE) 
of  Excellence 

Initiative, 

National Focal Point. At that time, Dr Bilal 
was the director of the Lebanese Atomic 
Energy Commission, an institute working 
under  the  aegis  of  the  National  Council 
of  Research.  With  the  Prime  Minister’s 
support,  Dr.  Bilal  assembled  a  National 
Team,  composed  of  the  army,  interior 
security  forces,  general  security,  state 
security, civil defence forces, and of course 
the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission 
(LAEC).  There  was  also  a  clause  in  the 
decision  of  the  Prime  Minister  to  allow 
this  structure  to  be  assisted  by  any  of 
the  ministries  if  needed,  meaning  that 
Dr.  Bilal  was  able  to  call  upon  technical 
ministers  from  the  Ministries  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  Health,  Environment,  Agriculture, 
Industry, Economy and Industry as well as 
members of the academia from different 
universities.
In  this  extensive  interview  with  F3  – 

to  see  what  Dr.  Bilal  and  the  CBRN 
National  Team  have  achieved  in  such 
a  short  period  of  time.  Despite  the 
challenges of the last years – including 
the  tragic  Port  of  Beirut  explosions  in 
August 2020, which killed more than 200 
people  and  left  many  more  wounded  
–  Lebanon  is  investing  resources  and 
adopting  a  systematic  approach  to 
tackle CBRN risks. 

Thanks to its commitment and reliability, 
Lebanon  has  also  managed  to  attract 
the interest of several external partners, 
including the European Union, the United 
Nations,  Canada,  the  United  States, 
France  and  many  other  national  and 
international  organizations, 
to  build 
capabilities  in  the  field  of  CBRN  risk 
mitigation,  resulting  in  an  impressive 
number  of  projects  coordinated  by  Dr. 
Bilal and his CBRN National Team.

The first time we  
heard about CBRN  
in Lebanon, it was  
in mid-2008

1. Let’s start from the beginning. What 
did CBRN preparedness look like before 
the EU CoE Initiative?
We started the effort to join the European 
Union  Centres  of  Excellence  Initiative 
for  CBRN  risk  mitigation  in  late  2010  – 
before  2010  the  only  time  CBRN  was 
used  was  within  another  project  with  a 
significantly different context. 

In  2008,  we  had  a  project  with  the 
European  Union  –  funded  by  the  EU 
in  Beirut  via  a  financial 
Delegation 
arrangement with Lebanese Customs in 
order to set up a system for combatting 
trafficking  of  radiological  and  nuclear 
materials.  The 
implementer  of  this 
project  was  the  International  Atomic 
Energy  Agency  (IAEA)  –  as  the  nuclear 

Natalie Pauwels, Dr. Bilal Nsouli, Sorin Popa, and Adil Radoini. Credits: European Commission.

existed in terms of CBRN risk mitigation 
policy  in  the  country.  In  his  own  words, 
“this was the first time we started CBRN 
response, before this no one knew what 
CBRN meant.”

Back in 2012, the Lebanese Prime Minister 
took the decision to formalize the process 
of becoming part of the EU CoE Initiative 
through  Dr.  Bilal’s  appointment  as  the 

Freedom  From  Fear  Magazine,  Dr.  Bilal 
recounts that this feat was not an easy 
task.  Not  only  did  he  have  to  deal  with 
government agencies that were working 
in silos, but he also had to contend with 
issues  of  information  security,  whilst 
simultaneously  attempting  to  attract 
external donors. 
Even  with  the  support  of  government’s 
formal mandate, it is indeed impressive 

  “On 4 August 2020, a pair of explosions of a 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate housed at the port of the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, struck the city, 
killing more than 200 people, wounding more than 6,500 and causing widespread damage”.  
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/nov/12/beirut-blast-a-night-of-horror-captured-by-its-victims

30

MIE RegionMIE REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022security  office  at  that  time  –  and 
coordination came from the Programme 
Management Office of the Presidency of 
the Council of Ministers.

follow-up  steering  committee. 

this  project,  we  established 
From 
It 
a 
was  composed  of 
the  Programme 
Management  Office  of  the  Presidency 
of the Council of Ministers, the European 
Union,  IAEA  and  the  beneficiaries.  This 
project  focused  on  capacity  building 
for  combatting  the  illicit  trafficking  of 
radiological  and  nuclear  materials.  One 
of the Work Packages of this project was 
planning the emergency response to any 
potential incidence of seizing smuggled 
radiological  or  nuclear  materials  at  the 
Lebanese borders. 

We  started  to  discuss  this  issue  only 
focusing on emergency response. Later 
on, IAEA and the EU proposed widening 
the response plan to encompass CBRN 
response. This  was  first  time  we  heard 
about  CBRN  in  Lebanon,  it  was  in  mid-
2008.

2. What were the main challenges that 
you encountered during this early phase 
of the project?
From  the  beginning  the  security  issue 
was  put  on  the  table:  it  was  difficult  to 
divulgate  information  that  was  needed 
for  the  gap  analysis.  At  that  time,  we 
were very transparent, and we discussed 
the issue with the different directorates 
that  showed  some  restriction  about 
divulgating  different 
information.  We 
told them clearly, if we wish to knock the 
socks  off  potential  donors,  we  need  to 
show  them  where  we  are,  what  we  are 
doing,  what  our  vision  is  and  what  we 
need from them. We need to show them 
our seriousness and professionalism. If 
not, you cannot attract donors.

3.  It  is  certainly  impressive  that  you 
and  your  team  were  able  to  establish 
CBRN  governance  and 
interagency 
coordination so rapidly in Lebanon. What 
do you think is the secret to the country’s 
success?
For CBRN risk mitigation, if you appoint 

a National Focal Point (NFP) from a list 
of  given  stakeholders,  this  NFP  cannot 
put  the  all  the  stakeholders  around  the 
same  table;  we  need  a  higher  political 
cover.  The  Prime  Minister’s  Office  is 
at  the  head,  and  it  means,  as  NFP,  I 
can  work  under  the  umbrella  of  the 
Prime  Minister’s  Office,  I  can  make  the 
necessary meetings, by inviting whoever 
you want. And, you can head a meeting 
by  representing  the  Prime  Minister’s 
Office.  If  you  do  not  have  this  capacity, 
you cannot work properly – if you are not 
really the guide and if you’re not strongly 
supported by the political system.

We need to offer 
the directories and 
ministries serious 
[CBRN] projects 
where they can see the 
difference before  
and after.

For  example,  I  was  able  to  send  letters 
of  invitation  directly  to  the  different 
ministries  and  directorates,  without 
going  through  another  structure.  If  you 
are able to do this, it means what you’re 
saying is coming directly from the Prime 
Minister.

The  second  key  of  success?  We  need 
to  offer  the  directories  and  ministries 
serious projects where they can see the 
difference  before  and  after.  Directories 
and ministries need to follow up and to 
be involved in activities and dialogue.

4.  Aided  by  the  EU  CoE  Initiative, 
Lebanon  established  a  comprehensive 
CBRN  National  Action  Plan  (NAP)  for 
the  years  2017-2020  that 
included 
prevention, preparedness and response 
to CBRN risks. Now you are planning a 
workshop to update the NAP next June. 
Can  you  give  us  an  insight on  how  the 

priorities of Lebanon in terms of CBRN 
risk mitigation have changed?
Priorities  are  something  dynamic, 
it 
depends  on  the  threat  and  risk.  For 
example, from the beginning, in 2012-13, 
our  top  priority  was  chemical  weapons 
used  by  non-state  actors 
(NSAs), 
because  in  Syria  and  our  neighbouring 
countries,  there  was  evidence  of  this 
issue.  The  top  priority  was  how  to 
protect  Lebanon  and  the  Lebanese 
population from any NSAs coming from 
Syria to Lebanon.

The  priority  has  changed.  After  the 
Port  of  Beirut  explosions,  the  priority 
is  totally  different.  Now,  the  priority 
is:  to  know  where  we  have  dangerous 
chemicals  of  security  concern;  where 
we  have  dual-use  chemicals;  to  revisit 
the regulations governing the licensing 
process  of  different  practices  related 
to  these  materials;  and  to  see  how  to 
destroy  and  neutralise  disused  and 
dangerous  chemicals.  These  are  the 
top  priorities,  it’s  something  huge,  and 
part  of  the  update  will  be  centred  on 
that. From this priority, we can extract a 
lot of activities. 

learned  and 

5.  Can  you  tell  us  more  about  the 
lessons 
the  activities 
relevant  to  the  CBRN  risk  mitigation 
policy that were triggered by the Port of 
Beirut explosions?
First  of  all,  we  were  surprised  by  the 
vulnerability  of  the  system  in  the  Port 
of Beirut, and we were also surprised by 
the  governance  system  at  the  Port.  At 
the  Port,  we  have  different  directorates 
who  needed  to  coordinate  with  each 
other, and from what we heard after the 
explosion, it was really surprising. 

From  our  point  of  view  there  are  two 
different things: firstly, how do we improve 
coordination in the CBRN response and, 
secondly, what do we need to learn? This 
explosion  gave  us  a  strong  lesson  that 
we  need  more  coordination  between 
all directorates in Beirut, and this needs 
to  be  done  through  a  Memorandum  of 
Understanding (MoU).

31

MIE RegionMIE REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022We  also  need  a  new  governance 
vision  in  the  Port  of  Beirut:  it  wasn’t  a 
case  of  someone  forgetting  to  send 
a  notification  to  another,  we  need  to 
re-evaluate  the  whole  system  of  port 
governance  to  avoid  another  explosion 
somewhere 
in  Lebanon.  We  need 
to  know  how  different  directorates 
their 
coordinated  with  each  other: 
manner  of  coordinating  didn’t  work 
because 
this  explosion  happened, 
those  materials  had  been  stored  for 
years in Beirut. This means you have a 
governance problem.

6.  Looking  to  the  future,  I  would  like 
to  ask  your  opinion  regarding  hybrid 
threats  in  relation  to  CBRN.  We  have 
seen in the news that cyber-threats are 
also impacting the CBRN world in some 
countries. What do you think about this 
threat  from  the  CBRN  risk  mitigation 
perspective?
Lebanon  has  made  an  effort  for  the 
past  four  years  in  close  cooperation 
with  France  to  establish  a  National 
Committee  dealing  with  cyber  security. 
We have prepared a National Policy and 
National  Action  Plan  for  cyber  security 
for Lebanon, which was endorsed by the 
Council of Ministers in 2018. This cyber 
security plan covers chemical industries 
in  Lebanon  (as  there  are  no  nuclear  or 
sensitive biological facilities in Lebanon).

In  the  future,  cyber  security  and  CBRN 
will  be  directly  linked  through  relevant 
chemical  industries  and  some  critical 
infrastructure  dealing  with  CBRN 
materials, for example in the storage of 
radioactive waste, in order to avoid any 
sabotage or theft of this material by non-
state actors. 

is  an 

There 
intersection  between 
CBRN  and  cyber  security,  so  cyber 
security  needs  to  take  into  account  the 
whole  spectrum  –  the  financial  sector, 
telecommunications and CBRN.
7.  Dr.  Bilal,  if  you  could  leave  us  with 
international 
one  message  for  the 
community  in  terms  of  CBRN  security, 
what would it be?
In most countries, CBRN is implemented 

32

with the support of donors, not national 
budgets.  I  believe  that  our  countries 
need  to  be  aware  of  the  importance  of 
that issue and we need a part of national 
budget  to  be  used  for  strengthening 
the  national  capabilities,  together  with 
cooperation  with  international  donors. 
My  second  message?  We  need  to 
coordinate  all  national  activities.  We 
need  to  carry  out  activities  within  the 
endorsed National Action Plan, because, 
if not, we won’t be efficient at all – we will 
duplicate  activities  and  not  make  use 
of  the  existing  resources  correctly.  We 
need  coordination  between  donors  and 
stakeholders,  and  form  a  multilateral 
approach to assistance.

Cooperation in export controls 
of dual-use goods with Middle 
Eastern Partner Countries under 
the CBRN Centre of Excellence 
initiative
By Federal Office of Economics and 
Export Control of Germany - BAFA

in  the 

Since  2014,  Project  38  of  the  EU  CBRN 
Centres of Excellence Initiative has been 
cooperating  with  the  Middle  Eastern 
Iraq,  Jordan  and 
Partner  Countries 
Lebanon 
implementation  and 
updating of their national strategic trade 
control  systems.  This  cooperation  has 
aimed at reinforcing capacities to closely 
regulate  and  monitor  any  cross-border 
trade in dual-use goods, i.e. items, which 
may  be  used  for  both  civil  and  military 
purposes;  the  latter  includes  chemical, 
biological, 
radiological  and  nuclear 
weapons  and  their  means  of  delivery. 
The  comprehensive  set  of  activities 
organised in the past comprised trainings 
for  licensing  and  customs  officers,  as  
legal  and  administrative 
well  as 
counselling 
raising 
awareness 
measures for industry and academia.

or 

After  the  outbreak  of  the  COVID-19 
pandemic  in  early  2020  had  hampered 
the  implementation  of  traditional  in-
person  activities,  the  cooperation  was 
quickly  adapted  and  continued  by 
means of virtual events, such as online 
workshops.

Focus of the cooperation with Iraq:
Being the most recent partner country, 
Iraq  joined  Project  38  at  the  end  of 
2019  and,  from  the  very  beginning  of 
the  cooperation,  was  very  committed 
to engage with the project. After a first 
introductory workshop in January 2020 
and  the  subsequent  joint  elaboration 
of an action plan, a series of five online 
workshops  was  organised  between 
October  2020  and  October  2021. 
The  main  focus  of  these  workshops 
was  to  familiarize  Iraqi  participants, 
among 
the 
licensing and enforcement sector, with 
the  application  of  the  Iraqi    dual-use 
control  list,  which  is  aligned  with  the 
consolidated dual-use list applied in all 
EU member states. Based on practical 
examples  and  exercises,  participants 
became familiar with the rating of dual-
use  goods  according  to  the  control 
list  and  in  consideration  of  technical 
parameters  stipulated  in  list  entries, 
as  well  as  technical  notes  and  cross 
references. 

representing 

others 

Focus of the cooperation with Jordan:
The cooperation in the area of dual-use 
trade  control  between  the  EU  and  the 
Hashemite  Kingdom  of  Jordan  already 
persists for more than a decade, already 
under  predecessor  projects  to  Project 
38,  and  has  contributed  to  the  further 
development  of  the  country’s  strategic 
trade  control  system.  Throughout  the 
entire  Project  38  project  cycle,  the 
focus of cooperation was on amending 
the  strategic  trade  control  legislation, 
reviewing  administrative  procedures, 
enhancing  the  enforcement  capacities 
the 
(in  particular  customs)  and 
engagement  with  the  private  sector. 
In  the  final  project  phase,  efforts  were 
dedicated 
to  support  establishing 
the  necessary  capacities  to  penalise 
infringements of Jordan’s strategic trade 
control provisions. To  this  end, a series 
of  three  online  and  hybrid  workshops 
was  organised  in  2021,  which  paved 
the way for an intended comprehensive 
legal  review  of  Jordan’s  related  penal 
system  and  further  follow-up  activities 
in 2022.

MIE RegionMIE REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  20222022 will be  
marked also by  
the deployment of  
the EU P2P e-learning 
modules

Focus of the cooperation with Lebanon:
In  Lebanon,  the  project  successfully 
organised  two  workshops  in  order  to 
introduce to a large number of different 
authorities  the  importance  of  dual-use 
trade  controls  and  the  requirements 
for  states  stemming 
from  UNSC 
resolution  1540/2004.  This  resulted 
in  the  agreement  on  a  comprehensive 
multiannual  action  plan.  However, 
further  implementation  of  the  project 
has  been  hampered  by  a  number  of 
in  Lebanon, 
different  developments 

such  as  the  horrible  and  devastating 
explosion  in  the  port  of  Beirut  and  the 
country’s  subsequent  political  and 
economic situation.

Kuwait,  Oman,  Qatar,  Saudi  Arabia  and 
the United Arab Emirates) in partnership 
with  Gulf  Cooperation  Council  Regional 
Secretariat of the EU CBRN CoE.

Continuation  and  extension  of  the  EU 
CBRN  CoE’s  engagement  in  strategic 
trade  controls  under  a  new  project, 
given  that  Project  38  ended  at  the 
end  of  2021,  the  EU  has  decided  to 
continue  its  long-standing  cooperation 
with  Middle  Eastern  Partner  Countries 
through  the  launch  of  a  new  EU  P2P 
project  for  the  Middle  East  –  Project 
89  -  as  of  January  2022  for  a  duration 
of  30  months.  Similarly  to  Project  38, 
the  implementation  of  Project  89  has 
been  entrusted  to  the  German  Federal 
Office  for  Economic  Affairs  and  Export 
Control (BAFA). This project will continue 
the  well-established  cooperation  with 
Iraq,  Jordan  and  Lebanon.  In  addition, 
the  range  of  Partner  Countries  will  be 
extended  to  the  six  member  states  of 
the  Gulf  Cooperation  Council  (Bahrain, 

to 

the  new  project  shall 
This  way, 
contribute 
the  enhancement  of 
national  capacities  in  the  control  of 
strategic  trade  in  dual-use  goods,  as 
well as foster the regional dialogue and 
cooperation in this field between all nine 
Partner  Countries  of  Project  89. This  is 
in particular important, as all the Partner 
Countries  are  engaged  in  viable  mutual 
trade exchange. 

For Project 89, as for Project 38, the EU 
CBRN  Centres  of  Excellence  Regional 
Secretariats  in  Amman  and  Abu  Dhabi, 
and  the  CBRN  National  Focal  Points  in 
Partner Countries, will play a crucial role 
for the communication and coordination 
with the national stakeholders.  

33

MIE RegionMIE REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022NORTH AFRICA AND SAHEL

By Anne-Sophie Lequarré and Nicolas Jal

3rd-Cohort-Graduation-Ceremony

Graduation  Ceremony  of  the 
third Cohort of MediPIET fellows 
by Anne-Sophie Lequarré

The  Field  Epidemiology  Training  Pro-
gramme  (FETP)  in  the  Mediterranean 
and  Black  Sea  “MediPIET”,  a  EU  CBRN 
CoE  project,  hosted  the  graduation  cer-
emony  of  its  third  cohort  of  fellows  on 
28  October  2021.  The  event  awarded 
and  congratulated  the  15  fellows  with 
all  completed  assignments  under  the 
two-year  on-the-job  MediPIET  training 
programme.
The  graduation  ceremony  also  recog-
nized  the  supervisors,  scientific  co-
institutions  and 
ordinators,  hosting 
stakeholders  involved  in  the  MediPIET 
programme  for  the  efforts  done  during 
these challenging times.

The  event  was  planned  to  take  place 
face-to-face  in  Madrid  at  the  end  of 
the  project,  but  unfortunately,  due  the 
COVID-19  pandemic  and  travel  restric-
tions, the ceremony occurred online with 
a  mixed  of  pre-recorded  parts  and  live 
moments.

An  important  part  of  the  event  was  the 
award  of  the  Fellowship  Certificates.  In 
order  to  give  the  needed  acknowledge-
ment  and  visibility  at  national  level,  the 
training  sites  organized  a  very  short 
in  advance” 
pre-recorded 
“ceremony 
by 
least  the  fellow(s), 
supervisor(s)  and/or  NFP,  someone 
from  the  MediPIET  National  Commit-
tee, and any other additional authorities 
that might have been considered by the 
training  site  and  the  EU  Delegation.  A 

including  at 

video was recorded at each training site 
and  edited  by  the  MediPIET  team  with 
the  support  of  the  ISCIII  IT  team  and 
was played during the online graduation 
ceremony.

Increasing the prevention and control of 
natural and man-made health threats in 
the EU neighbourhood 
The main objective of the Mediterranean 
and Black Sea Programme for Interven-
tion  Epidemiology  Training  (MediPIET) 
is  to  increase  security  in  the  EU  neigh-
bourhood for the prevention and control 
of natural and man-made health threats 
through  a  regional  training  Programme 
in  Intervention  Epidemiology.  The  pro-
ject  aims  at  consolidating  an  efficient 
workforce  with  the  necessary  skills  to 
carry  out  essential  public  health  func-

34

NAS RegionNAS REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022intervention 

Progressive  delivery  of  equip-
ment  for 
in  the 
transport  of  dangerous  goods 
and risk mitigation  
by Nicolas Jal

The initiating event
In  a  meeting  held  in  Brussels  in  May 
2017 to discuss chemical, biological and 
radiological  risk  mitigation  projects,  the 
national  focal  points  (NFPs)  of  the  AAF 
and NAS regions highlighted the difficul-
ties  faced  by  the  Sahel  countries  to  im-
plement  existing  legislation  in  the  field 
of transport of dangerous goods (TDG). 
NFPs  pointed  out  that  TDG-related  leg-
islation  in  these  Partner  Countries  was 
only  partially  compliant  with  United  Na-
tions  or  European  Union  standards,  in 
some cases. In addition, they expressed 
the  need  to  provide  Partner  Countries 
with specialist assistance in the event of 
an accident of this kind.

Against  this  background,  the  EU  CBRN 
CoE launched two new projects with the 
aim of strengthening first response and 
risk  management  capacities  related  to 
the TDG in the NAS and AAF regions.

Need for specialised equipment 
The  first  project  was  the  “Provision  of 
specialised equipment to manage trans-
port  accidents  with  dangerous  goods 
aimed for first responders in the AAF and 
NAS regions” (Project 70).

tions, and tackle national and cross-bor-
der challenges posed by communicable 
diseases. 

The  project  enables  an  increased  ex-
change of public health knowledge and 
methodologies  between  non-EU  coun-
tries  and  EU  partners.  The  programme 
extends over the non-EU countries cov-
ered by the EU Enlargement and Europe-
an  Neighbourhood  policies:  Albania,  Al-
geria, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 
Egypt,  Georgia,  Jordan,  Kosovo,  Leba-
non,  Libya,  Moldova,  Montenegro,  Mo-
rocco, Palestine, Serbia, the Republic of 
North  Macedonia,  Tunisia,  and  Ukraine. 
Israel and Turkey participate in the pro-
ject with an observer status.

The  project  had  three  successive  phas-
es, a pilot, P32 (2013-2014) followed by 
P36  (2014-2018)  with  two  cohorts  of 
fellows trained and the last phase with a 
third cohort (P74) implemented through-
out 2019-2021 by the Instituto de Salud 
Carlos  III  (ISCIII),  and  supported  by  the 
Fundación  Estatal  Salud,  Infancia  y  Bie-
nestar Social (FCSAI). 

EU  Health  Security  Initiative  and  up-
coming cohort of MediPIET fellows
The  MediPIET  successful  training  pro-
gramme is included in the EU Health Se-
curity Initiative (HSI) led by the European 
Centre  for  Disease  Prevention  and  Con-
trol (ECDC), with funding from the Euro-
pean Commission’s DG NEAR. 

The EU HSI covers three pillars: one on 
epidemic  intelligence,  risk  assessment, 
preparedness  and  response;  a  second 
on  the  integration  into  ECDC  systems, 
knowledge  sharing  and  networking; 
and  the  third  is  the  direct  follow-up  of 
MediPIET  with  two  additional  cohorts 
of  fellows  planned  and  the  inclusion  of 
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Turkey and Israel as 
full  partners.  The  kick-off  occurred  last 
June  and  the  fourth  cohort  started  on 
the job training in summer.

Fully encapsulated protective suit.

In  2019,  the  Paul  Boyé  consortium  was 
selected  by  the  European  Union  to  lead 
the  implementation  of  this  project.  P70 
includes  one  week  of  training  sessions 
on  the  use  of  this  specialised  CBRN 
equipment  for  the  first  responders,  as 
well  as  a  “level  1  maintenance”  training 
of the CBRN equipment delivered in the 
Partner Countries. 

All  15  countries  of  the  two  regions  in-
volved  receive  the  same  equipment  for 

Sénégal-Fire station BNSP. 

CBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022

35

NAS RegionNAS REGIONPAUL BOYE, EQUIPMENT PROCUREMENT FLOW CHART

Step1: Authorization (Mandatory step for shipment)

End-User receives the 
EUC pre-filled form from 
Paul Boyé

End-User returns the EUC 
form signed and 
stamped to Paul Boyé
1 - By scan
2 - By express courrier

Paul Boyé requests the 
dual use license 
(export authorization)

End-User contacts the competent authorities 
(customs office, etc...) to initiate the procedure 
to obtain the duty and tax exemption certificate, 
using the documents recieved from Paul Boyé
 End-user checks what are the other formalities 
to accomplish before shipping (dangerous 
goods, importation procedures...)

End-user needs to 
provide the duty and tax 
exemption certificate to 
Bolloré to organise the 
customs clearence
• unload goods

End-user remails in daily 
contact with Bolloré to 
make sure that all 
procedures are operating 
in a timely manner

Equipment being 
delivered to the 
end-user at final 
destination

Step2: Shipment preparation

Paul Boyé Technologies advises 
the end-user by sending the 
following documents:
• Attestation of donation
• List of equipment
• Invoice
• Packing list
• Dangerous goods form

Step3: Shipment and Delivery

Once the procedure is initiated and 
confirmed by end-user:
1. Paul Boyé dipatches the equipment
2. Sends those documents to the 
end-user (by email):
• ETD
• ETA
• Bill of Lading
• Bolloré contact details

Step4: Training Session

Training session to be organized: 
1 - Premises designation, 
2 - List of participants, 
3 - Official letter of invitation

36

NAS RegionNAS REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022the  use  among  first  responders,  which 
ranges  from  individual  and  collective 
protection  equipment  such  as  fully  en-
capsulated CBRN protective suit level A, 
to  compressed  air  breathing  apparatus 
and air compressors, C and R detectors, 
portable  decontamination  system,  or 
chemical sampling kits.

SECTRANS-NAS
The  second  project  was  the  “develop-
ment  and  strengthening  of  risk  man-
agement  capacities  related  to  the  land 
transport  of  chemical  and  biological 
substances  in  North  Africa  and  the  Sa-
hel  region”  –  Project  72,  also  known  as 
SECTRANS-NAS.

The transport of chemical and biological 
products presents an increasing risk that 
justifies  stricter  regulations  and  other 
accident  prevention  measures  aimed  at 
protecting  both  the  population  and  the 
environment.  The  strengthening  of  re-
gional cooperation is also necessary, as 
TDG is not limited to sovereign borders.
Over  the  course  of  its  implementation, 
SECTRANS-NAS  has  aimed  to  develop 
a  comprehensive  chemical-  and  biolog-
ically-focused  legal  framework  adapted 
to  each  country,  with  local  training  ses-
sions  for  safety  advisers,  carriers  and 
drivers involved in the TDG.

The project has also delivered a circula-
tion model and a model outline for each 
of  the  Partner  Countries’  capital  and/or 
other main cities selected by the national 
authorities.

SECTRANS-NAS is reinforcing measures 
for prevention, preparation and response 
to  TDG  accidents  focused  on  transport 
companies,  first  responders  and  secu-
rity  services  by  taking  into  account  the 
best practices available and harmonised 
across  the  Sahel  region,  including  the 
use of a computer model of atmospheric 
dispersion. 

Although the pandemic has reduced the 
possibilities  for  implementers  to  travel, 
workshops  were  able  to  take  place  re-
motely.  An  exercise  to  be  conducted  in 

Presentation leak sealing device. Credits: Franck Havard (Paul Boyé)

Portable decon shower, Cote d’Ivoire. 

CBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022

37

NAS RegionNAS REGIONeach  partner  country,  as  well  as  a  joint 
regional exercise, are also planned to an-
chor knowledge.

To know more about the project on TDG 
implemented  in  the  AAF  region,  read 
the  news  feature  ‘INSTASUR*  and  SEC-
TRANS:  a  strengthened  framework  to 
secure  the  risk  management  involving 
chemicals  in  the  Atlantic  African  Façade 
Region’,  published  within  the  AAF  region 
section of this Newsletter (page 7).

the  supplier 

in  Toulouse: 

Visit 
to 
objectives
In September 2021, I visited the supplier’s 
headquarters in Toulouse, France, to dis-
cuss the equipment delivery programme 
and  the  training  schedule  ahead.  The 
administrative  stages  of  the  materials 
shipping (export, supply, delivery, unload-
ing, installation, commissioning) and the 

difficulties that may be faced throughout 
this  process  were  also  addressed  dur-
ing  the  visit.  An  equipment  delivery  as-
sistance table was presented to improve 
administrative formalities, as seen in the 
infographic accompanying this text.

Maintenance to be expected
The  units  that  receive  the  equipment 
also benefit from first-level maintenance 
training. In the longer term, however, the 
beneficiary Partner Countries will have to 
set up themselves monitoring and main-
tenance  procedures,  in  particular  for 
the  detectors  provided  (i.e.  calibration, 
replacement  of  electrochemical  cells, 
possible repairs). The OSA technical as-
sistance expert is at their disposal to find 
solutions, preferably local.

Projects’ progress and way forward
P70, P71 and P72 have achieved a more 

or  less  advanced  stage  of  implementa-
tion depending on the Partner Countries. 
The extent to which these projects have 
progressed relates to the Partner Coun-
tries’  ability  to  deliver  the  equipment, 
customs  clearance  difficulties,  and  the 
availability of the various participants to 
engage in workshops or training. 

In January 2022, the three projects were 
progressing  positively  and  should  be 
able to be concluded in mid 2022. These 
projects are making possible to strength-
en the legal, technical and organisational 
capacities  of  the  various  Partner  Coun-
tries concerned in their efforts to mitigate 
TDG  risks  and  to  provide  a  response  in 
the event of a CBRN transport accident. 
The  objectives  envisioned  by  the  NFPs 
back in 2017 will then be achieved.  

Presentation in the classroom, Morocco. 

38

NAS RegionNAS REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022SOUTH EAST ASIA

By R. Alexander Hamilton, Gladdes H. Arreco, John Jones and Expertise France Team

important  milestones, 

Opening of a new South-East 
Asia Regional Secretariat office
by R. Alexander Hamilton
In  2021,  the  Regional  Secretariat  for 
South  East  Asia  achieved  a  number 
including 
of 
the  signing  of  a  Memorandum  of 
Understanding  (MoU)  between  UNICRI 
and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) 
of  the  Philippines  and  the  subsequent 
opening  of  a  new  office  at  the  BFP 
National Headquarters. 

Located in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the 
new  office  offers  exceptional  facilities, 
including  a  modern  workspace  for  two 
staff  and  access  to  a  fully  connected 
meeting room. The Regional Secretariat 
equally  benefits  from  BFP’s  leadership 
and  experience  as  the  nation’s  first 
responders  to  CBRN 
incidents  and 
emergencies,  making  the  office  well 
placed  to  engage  on  CBRN  issues  on 
both the strategic and operational level.

Special thanks are due to Major General 
Jose  Embang,  Jr.,  long-time  National 
Focal  Point  for  the  Philippines  and 
former Director of BFP, for leading these 
developments.  Through  his  actions, 
signing  the  MoU  and  facilitating  the 
set-up of the new office, Major General 
Embang  has  helped  ensure  the  long-
term sustainability of the EU CBRN CoE 
in South East Asia.

Ice Plant Ammonia Leak: 
Philippine Experience and 
Lessons Learned
by Gladdes H. Arreco

The Blast
Ammonia  is  a  common  freezing  agent 
used  in  ice  plants  in  the  Philippines. 
On  3  February  2021  at  around  4pm, 
an  explosion  occurred  followed  by 
a  minor  fire  incident  in  an  Ice  Plant 

New South-East Asia Regional Secretariat office at the Bureau of Fire Protection National Headquarters, 
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Ice Plant and Cold Storage Building Facility after the ammonia blast incident, Navotas City, Metro Manila, 
Philippines. 

and  Cold  Storage  Building  Facility  in 
Navotas City, Metro Manila, Philippines. 
Navotas  City  is  known  for  the  Navotas 
Fish Port Complex, which is the premier 
fish  center  of  the  Philippines  and  the 

biggest  consumer  of  ice  in  the  area. 
The  Bureau  of  Fire  Protection  is  the 
frontline  government  agency  of  the 
Philippines  on  fire  and  emergency 
medical  response.  During  the  incident, 

CBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022

39

SEA RegionSEA REGION 
responders  noticed  at  once  the  strong 
odor emitted from the leaking hazardous 
material 
in  the  factory.  Firefighters 
immediately secured the perimeter and 
evacuated  people  in  the  area.  During 
the  investigation  on  the  cause  of  the 
explosion,  significant  data  suggested 
mechanical  means  of  rapid  expansion 
of gas. One of the cylinder containers of 
liquid anhydrous ammonia used by the 
company  had  pressure  build  up  inside 
the  tank  causing  the  container  to  fail 
and explode. The failure of the cylinder 
was  attributed  to  age,  use  and  stress 
caused  by  corrosion.  An 
important 
safety feature, the Pressure Relief Valve 
(PRV), also failed. The PRV was found to 
be oxidized due to internal moisture and 
severe corrosion. 

Unfortunately,  the  incident  claimed  the 
lives  of  two  employees  identified  as 
Gilbert  Tiangco,  age  44,  and  Joselito 
Jazareno,  age  54.  Approximately  90 
other  civilians  within  the  area  reported 
difficulty breathing.  

Lessons Learned
The  Bureau  of  Fire  Protection  of  the 
Philippines  has  consistently  worked  on 
improving  its  competencies,  especially 

like 

in  relation  to  hazardous  materials. 
Partners, 
the  EU  CBRN  Risk 
Mitigation  Centres  of  Excellence,  have 
also extended a hand to provide relevant 
resources and technical assistance. 

the  need 

The  Navotas  City  Ammonia  Blast 
Incident  highlighted 
for 
capacity  building  measures  among 
firefighters in the Philippines, especially 
to  provide  extensive  and  thorough 
fire  safety 
training  on 
inspection 
hazardous  materials  with  an  emphasis 
on  mechanical  nomenclature  of  their 
storage  components.  The 
incident 
paved  the  way  for  the  development 
of  extensive  contingency  plans  for  all 
cities  in  Metro  Manila  with  ice  plants 
and similar facilities. It also motivated a 
series of lectures from fire responders to 
city station commanders on hazardous 
material preparedness and response.

Project 81 BIOSEC: Making 
Progress in a Pandemic
by John Jones
As  part  of  our  project  plan,  the  Project 
81 Team created a risk register in 2019. 
Amongst  the  risks  listed  was,  “Natural 
disasters  and  infectious  diseases”.  Our 

Director Orathai Suphan (centre) and scientific staff at Regional Medical Sciences Centre 8 Udon Thani.

40

time, 

proposed  risk  mitigation  measure  at 
that  time  was,  “If  it  becomes  unsafe 
or  logistically  impracticable  to  conduct 
a  visit,  training  or  workshop  at  the 
the  Project  Team 
scheduled 
Leader  will  seek  to  defer  the  visit  and 
reschedule  once  the  risk  has  passed. 
This  may  require  an  amendment  to 
the  travel  budget  for  the  relevant  work 
package”.    Whilst  we  can  congratulate 
ourselves  on  correctly  identifying  the 
risk,  who  could  have  predicted  in  2019 
that the time for the risk to pass would 
be  in  excess  of  two  years?  (Actually, 
when  I  wrote  an  article  for  the  2021 
CoE Newsletter, I thought we would be 
operating  in-country  by  the  end  of  that 
year – but that is still not possible.)

In  terms  of  project  delivery,  the  main 
“casualty” of the pandemic continues to 
be  the  various  in-country  and  regional 
workshops  which  have  been  rendered 
impossible  by 
travel  or  quarantine 
restrictions  and  the  fact  that  the  main 
target  audience  for  P81  is  composed 
of  the  staff  dealing  with  real-life  public 
health issues. In addition, the ebbs and 
flows of the disease have brought with 
them  constantly  shifting  restrictions 
on  travel  and  self-isolation  –  often 
introduced  at  short  notice.  Moving 
forward  has  therefore  demanded  a 
degree  of  flexibility  which  would  have 
been impossible to anticipate when the 
original  project  plan  (and  budget)  was 
put  in  place.  Nevertheless,  flexibility 
in  our  approach  has  been  the  key  to 

As we moved  
towards the first 
quarter of 2021, it 
became increasingly 
evident that remote 
working would be the 
norm rather than the 
exception

SEA RegionSEA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022our  launch  meeting  in  March  2020 
that  face-to-face  activity  was  going  to 
be  impossible  for  some  time  to  come 
and that there would need to be a shift 
towards  e-learning  and  webinars  on 
Zoom  or  similar  platforms.  In  fact,  our 
launch  meeting  was  one  of  the  first 
“hybrid”  events  combining 
in-person 
attendance and contributions from P81 
experts “live” via video link. 

for 

surge 

capacity 

developing 

and 
to 
to  major  outbreaks  and 

Webinars 
strengthening 
respond 
pandemics.
As  we  moved  towards  the  first  quarter 
of 2021, it became increasingly evident 
that remote working would be the norm 
rather than the exception. Therefore, the 
project  initiated  a  series  of  webinars 
on  topics  which  were  relevant  to  the 
development  of  surge  capacity 
in 
response 
to  major  outbreaks  and 
pandemics  such  as  the  current,  highly 
infectious  SARS-CoV-2  pandemic.  The 
series of webinars started in July 2021 
and covered the following topics:
•  “Surge Capacity Assessment Tool” (21 
July 2021). This webinar was designed 
the  Dutch 
by  our  colleagues  at 
National Institute for Public Health and 
the  Environment  (RIVM)  to  support 
laboratory  staff  in  identifying  “choke 
points”  when  ramping  up  capacity  at 
short notice;

•  “Waste  Management  in  Pandemics” 
(11  August  2021).  The  presentation 
from  the  UK  Health  Security  Agency 
(UKHSA)  focused  on  strategies  for 
the  safe-handling  and  disposal  of 
medical waste, a subject that is often 
overlooked  despite  the  fact  that  extra 
tests  and  revised  clinical  procedures 
generate  vast  amounts  of  additional 
waste material during pandemics;

•  “Training for laboratory workers in the 
end-to-end  diagnosis  of  SARS-CoV-2” 
(29  September  2021).  This  webinar 
also  provided  access  to  an  e-learning 
module developed by UKHSA;

•  “Outbreak  preparedness  using  WHO 
LBM4 
risk  and  move 
towards resilience” (27 October 2021). 
Delivered  by  UKHSA  and  exploring 

to  assess 

the  more  flexible  approach  to  risk 
management  recommended 
in  the 
recently  published  World  Health 
Organization  Laboratory  Biosafety 
Manual, 4th Edition;

•  “Novel  Pathogen  Detection 

and 
Sequencing” (24 November 2021). This 
was  a  joint  effort  by  Mahidol  Oxford 
Tropical  Medicine  Research  Unit 
(MORU)  Bangkok,  UKHSA  and  RIVM 
and  covered  genome  sequencing, 
metagenomics  and  detection  of  new 
variants in waste-water.

These  webinars  proved  to  be  very 
popular  and  attracted  delegates  from 
across  the  South-East  Asia  region  and 
beyond – Barbados and Kyrgyzstan, for 
example! The feedback was universally 
positive with high ratings for the content 
and structure of the webinars. 

In  2022,  we  plan  to  continue  with 
monthly  webinars.  An  online  survey 
of  over  400  contacts  who  had  either 
attended  the  webinars  or  who  had 
registered  to  attend  indicates  strong 
interest in topics such as:
•  codes of conduct for researchers, 
• selection of PPE, 
• public health messaging, 
• physical security at laboratories and, 
• data sharing. 

We are currently designing webinars to 
address these topics.

Looking ahead, and as travel restrictions 
are  gradually  lifted,  we  are  developing 
a  programme  of  survey  missions  to 
laboratories  and  border  control  points 
in  participating  countries  alongside 
workshops with ministries and planners. 
We hope to start this programme at the 
end  of  March  2022,  but  I  predict  that 
flexibility will continue to be the central 
theme for some time to come.

Nuclear Masters: Graduate 
Success Stories 
by R. Alexander Hamilton
Nuclear  safety  and  security  risks  pose 
a  growing  threat  to  the  South-East 
Asia  region  and  the  world,  yet  relevant 

CBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022

41

Sample preparation at RMSC 8 Udon Thani.

Chemical analysis at RMSC 8 Udon Thani.

making  progress  during  this  period. 
A  good  example  was  a  visit  to  the 
National Focal Point in Bangkok as soon 
as restrictions eased in December 2021, 
which  enabled  some  fact-finding  and 
the joint identification of options for the 
future.  I  was  also  fortunate  to  be  able 
to  attend  the  Regional  Public  Health 
Laboratory  (RPHL)  network  conference 
and  give  a  short  presentation  about 
possible  synergies  between  the  RPHL 
and Project 81.

Some of the project work packages were 
always designed to be carried out mainly 
by  correspondence  –  for  example, 
the  surveys  of  legislation  in  Partner 
Countries  which  are  being  delivered  by 
a  combination  of  questionnaires,  desk-
based  research  and  online  meetings 
with officials.  Thanks to the continuing 
support  of  the  National  Focal  Points, 
most  of  those  surveys  are  now  ready 
for review. 

However,  it  became  clear  soon  after 

SEA RegionSEA REGIONBrig. Gen. Vuthy Khun.

article  showcases  the  experiences  of 
three  Cambodian  alumni  who  have 
gone on to become CBRN professionals 
in  their  home  country,  applying  and 
sharing  knowledge  gained  through  EU 
CBRN  Project  29  to  help  strengthen 
national, regional, and global safety and 
security. 

Maj. Sandy Tith
CBRN  National  Team  Member,  Deputy 
Chief of Office of Chemical Substances, 
Department  of  Chemical  Substance 
the 
Control,  General  Secretariat  of 
National  Authority  for  the  Prohibition 
of  Chemical,  Nuclear,  Biological 
and  Radiological  Weapons  (NACW), 
Cambodia.

at 

“I  am  grateful  to  CBRN  CoE  Project 
29  for  offering  me  the  opportunity  to 
in  the  Nuclear  Security, 
participate 
Safety  and  Safeguards  Master’s 
Programme 
Chulalongkorn 
University.  This  opportunity,  which 
followed the completion of a Bachelor 
of  Science  Degree  in  Chemistry  from 
the  Royal  University  of  Phnom  Penh 
(RUPP),  not  only  helped  me  gain 
knowledge  on  nuclear  safety,  security 
and  safeguards,  it  also  enabled  me 
to  be  part  of  a  network  of  graduates 
of 
representing 
(ASEAN) 
Southeast  Asian  Nations 
countries.  Since  graduating,  I  have 
started  to  work  and  I  can  use  this 
knowledge  to  fulfill  my  professional 
responsibilities,  and  also  to  share 
experiences 
my 
with  my  colleagues  in  the  office  and 
other  institutions  in  Cambodia.  This 
knowledge  has  further  helped  during 

the  Association 

knowledge 

and 

Maj. Sandy Tith. 

education and training opportunities are 
limited. This means that many talented 
students lack the necessary funding and 
educational  opportunities  to  advance 
their knowledge and careers as nuclear 
safety  and  security  professionals. 
Recognising  this  challenge,  in  2013, 
EU  CBRN  CoE  Project  29  sought  to 
provide  students  in  South  East  Asia 
with  the  opportunity  to  participate 
in  the  Nuclear  Security,  Safety  and 
Safeguards  Master’s  Programme  at 
Chulalongkorn  University,  Department 
of  Nuclear  Engineering,  Thailand.  The 
two-year  programme,  which  employed 

IAEA  educational  materials,  provided  a 
platform  to  develop  human  resources 
and networking opportunities for young 
CBRN professionals in the region. 

The project began by selecting candidate 
in 
students  from  Partner  Countries 
South  East  Asia  who  demonstrated 
academic  excellence  and  merited 
financial  support  to  participate  in  the 
masters.  It  then  provided  successful 
candidates  with  scholarships,  enabling 
them  to  participate  in  the  two-year 
programme and gain critical knowledge 
in  nuclear  safety  and  security.  This 

42

SEA RegionSEA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022Safety 
and 
Programme 

“After  graduating  with  a  Bachelor 
of  Science  Degree 
in  Chemistry 
from  the  Royal  University  of  Phnom 
Penh  (RUPP),  I  received  the  special 
opportunity to participate in the Nuclear 
Safeguards 
Security, 
Master’s 
(2013-2015) 
thanks  to  a  scholarship  through  EU 
CBRN  CoE  Project  29.  The  master’s 
programme helped me gain knowledge 
and experience in the domain of CBRN 
risk mitigation, especially in the nuclear 
field.  The  programme  specifically 
helped  me 
improve  my  knowledge 
about  nuclear  security,  nuclear  safety 
and  nuclear  safeguards.  This  has  not 
only  helped  me  begin  my  career  with 
NACW,  but  it  has  also  given  me  the 
opportunity  to  share  my  knowledge 
and experience with colleagues through 
training programmes in my workplace.”

By  providing  education  and  training 
opportunities of this kind, the EU CBRN 
CoE  is  helping  ensure  that  the  next 
generation  of  CBRN  professionals  is 
better  prepared  to  prevent,  detect  and 
respond to future CBRN emergencies.

EU P2P Export Control Programme 
for Dual-use Goods – Projects 64 
and 90 – showing a way forward 
out of the pandemic 
By Expertise France Team 

to 

The EU P2P Export Control Programme 
for Dual-use Goods aims at cooperating 
with  strategic  partners 
jointly 
enhance  the  effectiveness  of  dual-use 
trade  control  systems  worldwide  by 
sharing experiences and best practices 
and 
compliance  with 
international  obligations,  most  notably 
under  UN  Security  Council  Resolution 
1540. 

supporting 

Project  64  of  the  EU  P2P  Programme, 
launched  in  2017,  aims  at  contributing 
the  creation,  consolidation  and 
to 
updating  of  effective  strategic  trade 
control systems in specific geographical 
zones  around  the  world.  Dozens  of 

By providing 
education and 
training opportunities 
of this kind, the EU 
CBRN CoE is helping 
ensure that the next 
generation of CBRN 
professionals is better 
prepared

activities  and  dialogue  fora  have  been 
conducted  or  established  during  the 
first  four  years  of  the  project.  In  line 
with  recently  published  EU  priorities, 
such as the EU Strategy for Cooperation 
in  the  Indo-Pacific,  and  with  priorities 
formulated  through  the  EU  CBRN  CoE 
Regional  Secretariat  for  South  East 
Asia,  a  dedicated  EU  P2P  project  - 
Project 90 - for Southeast Asian Partner 
Countries  was  launched  in  December 
2021.  Implementing  teams  from  both 
Project  64  and  Project  90  will  ensure 
continuous  dialogue  and  coordination 
so  that  activities  are  based  on  best 
practices  and  lessons  learnt  in  Project 
64.  They  will  also  strengthen  their 
cooperation with stakeholders of the EU 
CBRN CoE Initiative.

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 
early 2020 disrupted many cooperation 
opportunities  in  the  field  of  dual-use 
goods. The reduction of trade flows, the 
adoption  of  emergency  agendas  and 
the  difficulties  in  information  exchange 
forced  the  consortium  led  by  Expertise 
France  to  adapt  activities  in  order  to 
maintain dialogue with partners in these 
unprecedented times.  

Our priority was to establish appropriate 
conditions  for  remote  cooperation  with 
our Partner Countries. The waves of the 
pandemic obliged us to take into account 
restrictions 
unexpected  and  sudden 

43

Maj. Tan Lyheng.

many  programmes  overseas  such  as 
trainings, workshops, and seminars.”

Programme 

Brig. Gen. Vuthy Khun
CBRN  National  Team  Member,  Deputy 
Director  of  Institute  for  Research  and 
Experiment  on  Chemical  Weapons, 
General  Secretariat  of  the  National 
Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical, 
Nuclear,  Biological  and  Radiological 
Weapons (NACW).
“The  Master’s 
at 
Chulalongkorn  University,  Bangkok, 
Thailand,  helped  me  develop  a  strong 
foundation  in  nuclear  safety,  security 
knowledge, 
and 
safeguards.  This 
international 
including  on 
relevant 
disarmament 
and  non-proliferation 
regimes,  has  not  only  helped  advance 
my  career,  but  it  has  also  helped  me 
share  knowledge  and  experiences  at 
international  trainings,  workshops  and 
meetings  with  OPCW,  IAEA,  CBRN  CoE 
Projects and others.”

Maj. Tan Lyheng 
Deputy  Chief  of  Office  of  Nuclear 
Weapons,  Department  of  Chemical 
Substance  Control,  General  Secretariat 
the 
of 
Prohibition  of  Chemical,  Nuclear, 
Biological  and  Radiological  Weapons 
(NACW), Cambodia.

the  National  Authority 

for 

SEA RegionSEA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022forced 

worldwide.    Throughout  the  pandemic, 
the  project  was 
to  explore 
different  ways  of  dialogue.  Capitalising 
on  the  experience  of  other  institutional 
partners  was  a  key  element  to  navigate 
the  arduous  times  of  the  pandemic.  An 
enhanced  coordination  with  other  EU 
P2P initiatives, such as the EU P2P Arms 
Trade Treaty Outreach Programme (ATT 
OP) II or the COARM project, allowed for 
exploring a more integrated EU approach 
on  strategic  trade  controls.  The  EU 
P2P  Platform,  developed  for  the  third 
phase  of  the  ATT  OP,  provides  a  unique 
opportunity  to  create  a  vigorous  and 
engaged EU P2P community.

A  strengthened  dialogue  with  national 
actors  in  Partner  Countries  remained 
pivotal 
to  understand  and  support 
the  effectiveness  of  national  dual-use 
trade  controls.  Using  online  platforms, 
a  series  of  continuous  and  adaptive 
remote  needs  assessments  have 
been  conducted  in  order  to  determine 

challenges  and  bottlenecks  at 
national level. 

the 

a  more 

Nevertheless, 
ambitious 
approach was vital for the achievement 
of  the  goals  of  the  project.  Despite  the 
pandemic,  new  and  protean  threats 
arise,  questioning  the  effectiveness  of 
our political and technical responses. A 
more  solid  prospect  on  subjects  such 
as  the  management  of  foreign  direct 
investments, the intangible transfers of 
technologies  or  proliferation  financing 
had  to  be  developed  and  proposed  to 
address these challenges. 

In  2022,  both  Project  64  and  Project 
including  an  updated 
90  aim  at 
methodological  offer, 
including  new 
themes  that  are  perceived  as  priorities 
for  the  EU  and  Partner  Countries  in 
terms  of  effectiveness  of  national 
strategic 
trade  controls.  Trainings 
dedicated  to  emerging  technologies, 
academic  outreach  and  commodity 

identification  are  some  of  the  subjects 
where the EU P2P Programme may play 
a significant role in 2022. This year will 
also feature the deployment of EU P2P 
e-learning modules – an innovative tool 
to accompany the transfer of knowledge 
amongst cooperation partners. A tailor-
made 
learning  approach,  supported 
by  the  EU  P2P  expert  teams,  will  allow 
officials  from  Partner  Countries  to 
develop  learning  curricula  adapted  to 
the  challenges  and  priorities  of  each 
country,  maximizing  the  possibility  to 
adjust  the  technical  offer  to  specific 
country  needs.  It 
is  not  clear  how 
e-learning  will  address  the  challenges 
turnover. 
posed  by  administrative 
The  13  modules  developed  provide  a 
comprehensive  overview  of  the  main 
aspects of dual-use trade controls. 

The 2022 activities have just begun, so 
stay tuned!   

44

SEA RegionSEA REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022SEEE Region

SEEE REGION

SOUTH EAST  
AND EASTERN EUROPE

By Mari Lursmanashvili, Talgat Toleubayev, Sorin Popa and Jumber Mamasakhlisi

the  framework  of  the  EU  CBRN  CoE, 
which  allowed  their  participation  in  the 
webinars.  Ten  online  webinars  were 
organised  in  2020  and  2021,  gathering 
over 600 participants.

ten 

Secretariat, 

As  a  result  of  the  efforts  of  the  SEEE 
Regional 
online 
webinars  were  organised  in  2020  and 
2021,  gathering  over  600  participants 
from  several  regions  and  twenty-four 
international  and  regional  experts  -  out 
of  whom,  nineteen  PhD  Doctors  and 
professors  –  ,  who  spoke  about  their 
areas of expertise. In addition, speakers 
from  3 
international  organizations 
(the  World  Health  Organization,  the 
International  Atomic  Energy  Agency, 
and  the  United  Nations  Interregional 
Crime  and  Justice  Research  Institute  - 
UNICRI)  contributed  to  the  delivery  of 
these webinars by sharing their valuable 
expertise and experience in the areas of 
biosafety and biosecurity.

the  Biosafety 

Planning  of 
Biosecurity practical field exercise
As  a  continuation  of  the  enhancing  of 
biosafety  and  biosecurity  capabilities 

and 

Ten online  
webinars were 
organised in 2020 
and 2021,  
gathering over 600 
participants

Annual achievements in the 
SEEE region  
by Mari Lursmanashvili, Talgat Toleubayev, 
Sorin Popa, Jumber Mamasakhlisi

The  year  2021  has  been  another  year 
full  of  challenges  and  problems  for  all 
countries  within  the  EU  CBRN  Centres 
of Excellence (CoE) Initiative. According 
to  the  Charter,  the  role  of  the  Regional 
Secretariat  of  the  EU  CBRN  CoE  is 
to  facilitate  regional  cooperation 
in 
order  to  enhance  CBRN  risk  mitigation 
awareness,  readiness  and  capabilities 
at  national,  regional  and  international 
levels.  The  Regional  Secretariat  of 
the  South  East  and  Eastern  Europe 
(SEEE)  region  is  happy  to  share  its 
accomplishments in 2021.  

Interregional webinars
The SEEE region continued its initiative 
started 
in  2020  with  the  goal  to 
support  the  Partner  Countries  with 
a  series  of  online  webinars  aimed  at 

assisting  national  experts  and  relevant 
stakeholders, to complement countries’ 
efforts in prevention and response to the 
COVID-19  pandemic.  After  completion 
of  six  webinars  in  2020,  a  survey  was 
disseminated  among  the  participants 
for  the  purpose  of  identifying  Partner 
Countries’ additional needs and specific 
gaps to respond to the pandemic.

the 

Based on the priority areas identified in 
the region, the SEEE Regional Secretariat 
organised  four  interregional  webinars 
to  address 
following  subjects: 
Status  of  COVID-19  vaccination  in  the 
European  Region  (31  March),  Essential 
Public  Health  Measures  for  Effective 
Responses  to  the  COVID-19  Pandemic 
(18  May),  Management  of  SARS-CoV-2 
waste generated from different settings 
(25  May),  and  Quality  Assurance  and 
Quality  Control  in  COVID-19  Laboratory 
Testing  (8  June).  The  invitations  to 
attend  these  webinars  were  extended 
to  the  other  seven  regions  within 

CBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022

45

SEEE RegionSEEE REGIONState Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

the  SEEE 

the  Regional 
region, 
in 
Secretariat, in close cooperation with the 
National  Focal  Point  (NFP)  of  Ukraine, 
Mr  Maksym  Samusevych,  worked  on 
plans to conduct the next practical field 
exercise  in  Kyiv,  Ukraine.  The  regional 
exercise was supposed to be scheduled 
in  2022  and  unanimously  accepted  by 
the SEEE region to be named as “Trident 
Shield” Exercise and hosted by the State 
Border Guard Service of Ukraine. 

airport  security,  or  medical  and 
quarantine teams. 

to 

Unfortunately,  due 
the  ongoing 
situation in Ukraine, it was recommended 
to postpone this practical field exercise 
in 2023. After getting confirmation from 
the  NFP  Ukraine,  nine  other  countries 
of  the  SEEE  region  were  encouraged 
to  consider  hosting  this  event  in  their 
territories.

Every  partner  country  of  the  SEEE 
region  would  play  a  certain 
role 
allocated  to  them  during  this  biosafety 
and  biosecurity  field  exercise  with  the 
aim of testing inter-agency coordination 
and  cooperation.  As  such,  roles  would 
responders, 
be  assigned 
decontamination, 
control, 
customs,  command  and  coordination, 

to  first 

border 

CBRN Training Network
Networking  has  recently  become  a 
buzzword within the domain of training 
institutions  and  academia.  In  the  high-
tech era we live in today, it is quite easy 
to find acceptable technical solutions to 
bring  together  likeminded  institutions 
for the purpose of interacting with each 
other physically or virtually and sharing 

good  practices  in  the  interest  of  every 
member’s  professional  development. 
A  similar  initiative  aimed  to  create  a 
network  of  CBRN  training  institutions 
in the SEEE region was launched within 
the  framework  of  the  EU  CBRN  CoE 
Initiative.

The scope of the European Network of 
CBRN Training Centers (eNOTICE) may 
geographically  cover  all  countries  of 
the  SEEE  region.  Some  of  the  Partner 
Countries  in  this  region  even  aspire 
to  move  towards  the  European  Union 
membership. Consequently, all National 
Focal Points (NFPs) of the SEEE region 
suggested  to  explore  the  benefits  and 
advantages  for  joining  the  eNOTICE 
Network.  Within  the  framework  of  the 
EU  CBRN  CoE  Initiative,  the  Regional 
region 
Secretariat 

the  SEEE 

for 

46

SEEE RegionSEEE REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022The scope of the European Network of 
CBRN Training Centers (eNOTICE) may 
geographically cover all countries of the SEEE 
region.”

Agency  (IAEA),  the  Biological  Weapons 
Convention 
Implementation  Support 
Unit, the Organization for the Prohibition 
of  Chemical  Weapons  (OPCW),  the 
United  Nations  Office  for  Disarmament 
Affairs  (UNODA)  and  the  1540  United 
Nations Committee. These efforts were 
conducted in order to understand other 
activities  and  priorities  conducted  by 
important 
international  stakeholders 
and  ensure  complementarity  of  joint 
initiatives aimed to avoid duplication. 

For  the  first  time  in  its  history,  the 
SEEE  region  will  use  the  top  priorities 
expressed  in  its  CBRN  RAP  to  develop 
and implement new projects.

the 

During the entire development process, 
the  NFPs  were  informed  with  frequent 
implementing 
updates  about 
phases. In the 15th and 16th NFP RTMs, 
updates  were  provided  from  NFPs  and 
their  corresponding  national  experts 
about  the  findings  and  priority  areas 
expressed  as  a  result  of  consultations 
with  relevant  government  authorities. 

CBRN risks.

phases 

different 

were 
Seven 
the  SEEE  Regional 
completed  by 
Secretariat 
in  2021:  endorsement, 
preparation,  consultation,  preliminary 
analysis,  national  teams  consultation, 
presentation,  and  consolidation.  Two 
remaining phases including the review 
and  adoption  were 
implemented 
in  2022.  The  entire  process  will 
actual 
be 
implementation  of  the  CBRN  RAP 
throughout its 5 year duration.

complete  with 

the 

More precisely, the Regional Secretariat 
started with consultation meetings with 
the following international organizations: 
Energy 
the 

International  Atomic 

organised a regional meeting with NFPs 
and  relevant  national  institutions,  on  7 
April 2021. Participants received a brief 
overview  of  progress  made  in  terms 
of 
the  previous 
phases  of 
the  project  and  plans 
towards  the  integration  of  the  SEEE 
CBRN  institutions  within  the  European 
Network of CBRN Training Centers.

implementation  of 

The  CBRN Training  Net  Initiative  of  the 
SEEE  region  concluded  its  activities 
by  delivering  the  Awareness  Raising 
Workshop  targeted  to  national  CBRN 
institutions  in  Partner  Countries,  held 
on  17  June  2021  in  online  format. 
the  European 
Representatives  of 
Network  of  CBRN  Training  Centres 
provided practical information workshop 
about  the  steps  to  join  the  e-NOTICE 
Network  and  fill  out  corresponding 
questionnaire.  After  completion  of  this 
registration  process,  we  expect  that 
the  national  CBRN  institutions  in  SEEE 
region  will  become  more  visible  to  the 
European Union in order to support with 
the  implementation  of  future  projects 
and  activities,  as  well  as  by  providing 
with valuable expertise.

CBRN Regional Action Plan
The  SEEE  region  started  developing  its 
own CBRN Regional Action Plan (RAP) in 
2020, when all 10 countries of the region 
endorsed during the 14th National Focal 
Points  (NFPs)  Round  Table  Meeting 
(RTM)  to  move  in  this  direction.  The 
RAP is expected to support a mid-term 
and 
long-term  strategy  on  capacity 
building  to  ensure  the  sustainability  of 
the  CoE  projects  and  activities  in  the 
region. Upon development, the RAP will 
be  a  consolidated  list  of  actions  and 
priorities that the region agrees to work 
on  in  a  harmonized  way  to  mitigate 

Illustration of the Regional Action Plan (RAP) lifecycle.

47

SEEE RegionSEEE REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022 
These  RTMs  also  served  to  discuss  in 
detail  some 
important  components 
of  the  RAP,  including  its  duration,  the 
nature  of  the  document  at  operational 
and  strategic  levels,  the  annual  review 
process,  and 
in 
terms of specific activities.  

recommendations 

The  RAP  was  adopted  by  the  SEEE 
NFPs in May 2022, during the 18th NFP 
Round  Table  Meeting  held  in  Brussels, 
as  a  working  document  to  guide  our 
strategic actions in the SEEE region.

in 

Therefore,  for  the  first  time 
its 
history, the SEEE region will use the top 
priorities expressed in its CBRN RAP to 
develop  and  implement  new  projects. 
After the 16th NFP RTM, held in October 
2021,  Partner  Countries  agreed 
to 
choose  two  appropriate  projects  to  be 
developed  and  further  submitted  to 
the European Commission for possible 
approval and funding. It is important to 
underline  that  this  approach  will  be  in 
perfect  alignment  with  the  “bottom  up 
initiative”,  aimed  to  enhance  regional 
networking  of  countries  and  consider 
their  respective  national  priorities  prior 
to the designing of projects or activities.

A series of CBRN Forensics 
Guidebooks 
by Talgat Toleubayev

Background information 
Within  the  framework  of  the  EU  CBRN 
Centres of Excellence (CoE) Initiative, the 
South East and Eastern Europe (SEEE) 
region 
implemented 
two  projects  (P57  and  P58),  aimed  at 
strengthening  crime  scene  forensics 
capabilities  when  investigating  CBRN 

successfully 

investigating  CBRN 

incidents.    Completed  in  early  2020, 
these projects aimed to strengthen the 
existing traditional forensic capabilities 
in 
incidents 
among  police  and  security  experts, 
and  developed  a  training  system  for 
forensic  investigation  in  CBRN-related 
cases. 

required 

Countries  in  the  SEEE  region  have  well-
established  and  developed  traditional 
forensic capabilities for the investigation 
and  prosecution  of  CBRN  cases.  At  the 
same  time,  knowledge  and  equipment 
to  carry  out  traditional  forensics  in  a 
CBRN  environment 
further 
additional 
improvement. 
recommendations  were  expressed  by 
beneficiary countries after completion of 
these projects, including the possibility of 
joint training activities between forensics 
professionals  and  first  responders  in 
order  to  understand  each  other’s  roles 
in  the  event  of  real  incidents,  including 
training  involving  forensic  investigators, 
prosecutors and judges. 

Some 

Series of CBRN Forensics Guidebooks
Additional gaps and needs were revealed 
after  completion  of  these  projects, 
which  will  support  Partner  Countries 
in  addressing 
the  sustainability  of 
CBRN  forensic  capabilities  developed 
implementation  of  these 
during  the 
projects.  It  was  suggested  to  consider 
the  possibility  of  developing 
the 
internationally recognized and endorsed 
guidance  manuals  and  documents 
in  this  field.  Consultations  with  the 
relevant  subject  matter  experts  in  the 
CBRN  forensics  reiterated  the  need 
for  the  production  of  a  series  of  CBRN 
forensics Guidebooks aimed to provide 
to 
a  high-level  strategic  guidance 

Consultations with relevant subject matter 
experts in CBRN forensics reiterated the need 
for the production of a series of CBRN forensics 
Guidebooks aimed to provide a high-level 
strategic guidance

48

STEPS IN CBRN 
FORENSICS 
GUIDEBOOKS 
PRODUCTION

to 
Prosecutors  Guidebook 
Chemical 
and  Biological 
Crimes,  developed  in  close 
cooperation  with  the  OPCW  and  
the IAP.

CBRN  forensics  Guidebook 
on  Chemical  and  Biological 
Crime  Scene  Management, 

developed together with INTERPOL

Prosecutors  Guidebook  to 
Radiological  Crimes,  with 
the  IAEA,  and  the  JRC  in 
Karlsruhe.

decision  makers  and  commanders  at 
the national level in order to respond to, 
and cope with, the CBRN incidents.

international  partners, 

The  United  Nations 
Interregional 
Crime  and  Justice  Research  Institute 
(UNICRI), 
in  close  cooperation  with 
started 
its 
developing  a  Series  of  CBRN  forensics 
Guidebooks  aimed  to  support  decision 
makers  and  practitioners  with  a 
guidance on policies, recommendations 
and  best  practices  aimed  to  enforce 
and build up their forensics capabilities. 
Funding was received from the Service 
for  Foreign  Policy  Instruments  of  the 
European  Commission,  as  part  of  the 
EU  CBRN  CoE  Initiative.  Experienced 
regional  CBRN  subject  matter  experts 
as  well  as  forensics  and  laboratory 
personnel were recruited and contracted 
to provide their professional services in 
terms  of  generating  the  content  and 
helping to write the Guide. 
is 
The  first  step 
the  production  of  the  Prosecutors 
Guidebook  to  Chemical  and  Biological 
Crimes,  which  was  developed  in  close 

in  this  direction 

SEEE RegionSEEE REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022Collage of scenes from P57 and P58.

49

SEEE RegionSEEE REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022Cover of the “A Prosecutor’s Guide to Chemical and Biological Crimes”.

the  Organization 
cooperation  with 
for 
the  Prohibition  of  Chemical 
Weapons (OPCW) and the International 
(IAP). 
Association  of  Prosecutors 
The  development  team 
included  a 
group  of  15  experienced  professional 
subject matter experts including senior 
prosecutors, 
trial  attorneys,  police 
and  law  enforcement  officers,  CBRN 
forensics  practitioners,  and  laboratory 
experts.  For  9  months  of  2021,  they 
have  tirelessly  worked  to  produce  this 
important  guidance  document  in  close 
coordination with other relevant experts 
and  stakeholders,  prior  to  the  actual 
review  meeting,  which  was  held  on  14 
December 2021.     

the 

(UNODA), 

(Europol), 

including:  the  European  Commission, 
the  Organization  for  the  Prohibition 
of  Chemical  Weapons  (OPCW),  the 
International Association of Prosecutors 
  European  Union’s  Law 
(IAP), 
Enforcement  Agency 
the 
United  Nations  Office  for  Disarmament 
Affairs 
Biological 
Weapons  Implementation  Support  Unit 
(BWC  ISU),  the  Joint  Research  Centre 
(JRC),  the  World  Health  Organization 
(WHO), 
the  Netherlands  Forensic 
Institute (NFI), the International Security 
and  Emergency  Management  Institute 
(ISEM), representatives of the EU CBRN 
Centres  of  Excellence  Initiative  and  the 
SEEE Regional Secretariat. 

the 

The  online  review  meeting,  organized 
by  the  UNICRI  and  its  international 
partners,  was  attended  by  over  40 
participants  including  members  of  the 
core development team, UNICRI project 
team,  external  subject  matter  experts, 
regional  CBRN  forensics  experts,  and 
international 
representatives 
stakeholders 
organisations 

from 
and 

The  Prosecutor’s    Guide  to  Chemical 
and  Biological  Crimes  was  officially 
published in the UNICRI’s site, which will 
also  be  available  in  the  EU  CBRN  CoE 
platform. 
The second CBRN forensics Guidebook 
will  be  covering  the  Chemical  and 
Biological  Crime  Scene  Management 
aspects,  which  will  be  developed 

50

together with the International Criminal 
Police Organization – INTERPOL. Other 
international  organizations  expressed 
their  willingness  to  work  together  in 
developing  this  guide.  Negotiations 
with INTERPOL are ongoing regarding 
the  conditions,  funding  and  content.  
Both  UNICRI  and 
INTERPOL  have 
previously  supported  the  International 
Atomic  Energy  Agency 
in 
the  Radiological  Crime 
producing 
Scene  Management 
Implementing 
Guide,  which  is  part  of  the  IAEA’s 
Nuclear  Security  Series  Guide  22G. 
Implementing  Guide  was 
This 
jointly  sponsored  in  2014,  so  all  3 
organizations  currently  work  to  issue 
the updated version sometime in 2022.

(IAEA) 

A  series  of  the  CBRN  Guidebooks  will 
be completed with development of the 
Prosecutors Guidebook to Radiological 
Crimes,  with 
the 
European Commission’s Joint Research 
Centre  (JRC)  in  Karlsruhe.  It  will  be 
complementing 
IAEA’s  Nuclear 
the 
Security Series Guide 22G.  All partners 

IAEA,  and 

the 

SEEE RegionSEEE REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022  
  
IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

agreed to start the development in 2022 
within the IAEA’s platform as suggested 
International  Atomic  Energy 
by  the 
Agency.

Way forward and sustainability
All  three  guidance  documents  were 
proven to be a unique tool, which does not 
duplicate any existing efforts undertaken 
so  far  by  anyone.    They  are  aimed  to 
complement  already  existing  manuals 

All three  
guidance documents 
were proven to be a 
unique tool, which 
do not duplicate  
any existing  
efforts undertaken 
so far by anyone

and  guides  with  their  unique  content, 
methodology  and  targeted  audience. 
Two  presentations  were  delivered 
during  relevant  session  of  the  Working 
Group  of  the  G7  Global  Partnership 
Against  the  Spread  of  Weapons  and 
Materials  of  Mass  Destruction.  The 
international  community  is  well  aware 
about this initiative of the UNICRI with its 
international partners and stakeholders.
Nowadays,  we  may  find  a  wide  variety 
of  CBRN  forensics  guidance  manuals 
issued  by  standalone 
international 
organizations  or 
law  enforcement 
authorities  aimed  at  their  narrow  area 
of  interest  and  addressing  only  certain 
aspects  pertinent  to  their  functions.  In 
very  rare  instances  are  these  guidance 
documents  well  populated  and  well-
integrated in the daily operational areas 
of their end-users. We should be frank to 
admit  that  such  guidance  documents, 
in  many 
the 
bookshelves and libraries without proper 
use  by  the  professional  community  to 
whom it is targeted to be used. 

instances, 

remain 

in 

the 

In order to address the everlasting issue 
of sustainability, the UNICRI will integrate 
  action-oriented 
some  additional 
components  to  its  Guidebooks,  which 
will  complement 
internationally 
endorsed guidebooks by several relevant 
stakeholders.  Development  of  several 
training curricula, e-learning modules, or 
educational videos, based on the content 
of the Guidebook, will support in putting 
some  theoretical  elements  mixed  with 
some  sensitive  parts  which  were  not 
integrated  in  the  Guidebook  due  to  its 
open source nature and free availability in 
web-sites of international organizations. 
After  tackling  the  theoretical  part  of  the 
Guidebook,  some  practical  components 
will  be  tested  during  capacity  building 
and training activities targeted to the wide 
spectrum of end-users. Training activities 
will  include  practical  components  in  a 
table-top  or  other  formats,  as  well  as 
scenarios  of  real  cases  depicted  in  the 
Guidebook.      

51

SEEE RegionSEEE REGIONCBRN CoE Newsletter  -  June  2022 
Funded by
the European Union

About the EU CBRN CoE

The European Union (EU) Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence (CoE) 
is a global Initiative funded and implemented by the European Union as part of its goal to promote peace, stability and conflict 
prevention.

The aim of the Initiative is to mitigate risks and strengthen an all-hazards security governance in Partner Countries of the EU 
following a voluntary and demand-driven approach. The EU support is provided to implement a wide range of CBRN risk miti-
gation activities including needs and risk assessments, national and regional action plans, capacity building activities, legal 
framework reviews, table top and real time (including cross-border) field exercises, inter-regional exchange of best practices 
and lessons learnt.

The  Initiative  is  led  by  the  European  Commission,  in  close  coordination  with  the  European  External  Action  Service  (EEAS) 
and  with  the  support  of  the  United  Nations  Interregional  Crime  and  Justice  Research  Institute  (UNICRI).  Other  relevant  
International  Organisations  and  local  experts  contribute  to  the  Initiative,  which  represents  the  EU’s  largest  civilian  external 
security programme.

For more information visit CBRN CoE website at:

www.cbrn-coe.eu or send us an e-mail at:
eu-cbrn-coe@ec.europa.eu

Legal Notice 

Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might 
be made of this publication, nor for any errors which may appear despite careful preparation and checking.

Disclaimer

This publication does not necessarily reflect the view or the position of the European Commission. The list of countries published 
in this publication does not prejudice the status of these countries and territories now or in the future.

Picture credits
Front  cover:  Rareș  Gheorghiu,  for  European  Union;  P.03:  European  Commission’s  Joint  Research  Centre;  P.04:  European 
Commission’s Joint Research Centre, SEEE Regional Secretariat; P.05: WiN Ukraine; P.06: Institut Pasteur de Dakar; P.07:  stock.
adobe.com; P.08: Mr. Ndiaye; P.09: Mr. Ndiaye; P.10: CA Regional Secretariat; P.11: CA Regional Secretariat; P.12: CoE Project 
65; P.13: CoE Project 65; P.14: CoE Project 65; P.15: Jasurjon Ibragimov; P.16: CoE Project 53; P.17: CoE Project 53; P.18: CoE 
Project  53;  P.19:  Global  Laboratory  Leadership  Programme; P.20:  CoE  Project  87;  P.21:  UNICRI;  P.22:  UNICRI;  P.23:  UNICRI; 
P. 25: Gilly Topicha; P.26: GCC Regional Secretariat; P. 27: Rareș Gheorghiu, for European Union; P.28: Rareș Gheorghiu, for 
European Union; Günter Povoden; P.29: Rareș Gheorghiu, for European Union; P.30: Rareș Gheorghiu, for European Union; P.33: 
sittinan - stock.adobe.com; P.34: CoE Project 74 MediPIET; P.35: Franck Havard, Paul Boyé; P.36: Franck Havard, Paul Boyé; 
P.37: Franck Havard, Paul Boyé; P.38: Franck Havard, Paul Boyé;  P.39: Catherine Benedicto; Bureau of Fire Protection; P.40: 
CoE Project 81; P.41: CoE Project 81; P.42: NACW; P.43: NACW; P.44: Africa Studio - stock.adobe.com; P.45: SEEE Regional 
Secretariat; P.46: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine; P.47: SEEE Regional Secretariat; P.49: CoE Project 57; CoE Project 58; 
P.50: UNICRI; P.51: Tupungato - stock.adobe.com.

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