The first workshop for the drafting of a National Action Plan (NAP) for Tajikistan to mitigate Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) risks took place on 15-16 October 2015 in Dushanbe.
The workshop was held as part of the European Union CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence initiative (EU CBRN CoE) and represents the first step in the development of a NAP for Tajikistan. The main objective of this first workshop was to identify the relevant CBRN risks in the country by bringing together the National CBRN team and relevant stakeholders along with international experts from the EU CBRN CoE. The two-day workshop, was opened by the Deputy Director of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Agency (NRSA), representatives form the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).
The overall purpose of the NAP is to articulate a national vision for CBRN risk mitigation into a national CBRN action plan and to identify priorities for building capacity. The NAP – to be developed during a series of workshops – will be designed to ensure that separate efforts are incorporated into one coherent approach, thus strengthening national capacities for prevention, detection, preparedness and response to CBRN threats. The initiative also facilitates the identification and implementation of projects and ensures that capacity building is part of a coordinated and sustainable approach.
The first workshop for the NAP in Tajikistan included an overview and discussion of the risk scenarios in each of the areas dealt with – chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear – in addition to a presentation of the Needs Assessment Questionnaire results for the country, a part of the Centres of Excellence methodology.
The EU CBRN CoE Initiative is funded by the European Commission and implemented in cooperation with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the European Commission Joint Research Center (JRC). The European External Action Service is also involved in the follow-up of the initiative. The initiative is developed with the technical support of relevant international and regional organisations, the EU Member States and other stakeholders, through coherent and effective cooperation at the national, regional and international level. The initiative involves 51 countries in 8 regions of the world
For more information:
CBRN Centres of Excellence website: cbrn-coe.eu
European Commission, Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace website:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/fpi/what-we-do/instrument_contributing_to_stability_and_peace_en.htm