On 19 January 2023, within the framework of the European Union’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence (EU CBRN CoE) Initiative, the Regional Secretariat for Central Asia held a meeting to discuss the development of the draft Chemical Safety Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The meeting was part of the technical advisory activities requested by our partner country, the Republic of Uzbekistan, to support the elaboration of this new law.
The meeting brought together key representatives from the government, private sector and experts in the field of CBRN risk mitigation. It enabled an exchange of views on the draft Law on Chemical Safety and its development guided by a number of international agreements, such as - among the others - the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer; the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal; the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants; and the ILO Convention on the prevention of major industrial accidents.
The meeting also represented a crucial opportunity for the establishment of a platform to exchange the good practices of the United Nations and the European Union on the development and enforcement of an effective legislation on chemical security and safety issues. The meeting concluded with a discussion on future planned interventions to further enhance inter-ministerial dialogue and coordination to contribute to the finalization of the new Law on Chemical Safety which will be submitted for possible adoption by Uzbekistan.
Background information
The EU CBRN CoE Initiative 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 mitigation activities including needs and risk assessments, national and regional action plans, capacity building activities, legal framework reviews, tabletop and real time (including cross-border) field exercises, inter-regional exchange of best practices and lessons learnt.
Funded and implemented through the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) – Global Europe, the Initiative is led by the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), in close coordination with the European External Action Service (EEAS). The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) provides technical support to Partner Countries, while the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) ensures a coherent and effective national, regional and international cooperation. Other relevant International and/or Regional Organisations and experts also contribute to the Initiative, which represents the EU’s largest civilian external security programme.
The initiative involves 64 countries in eight regions across the world. The EU CBRN CoE represents the EU’s largest civilian external security programme.
