Funded by the European Union
Within the framework of the European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative (EU CBRN CoE), a fourth, additional technical assistance visit to Cambodia and the Philippines has taken place during the month of June 2015.
The technical assistance visits are conducted as part of Project 8 of the EU CBRN CoE Initiative entitled “Prerequisite to strengthening CBRN national legal frameworks” that aims to enhance national legal systems to comply with international obligations in the CBRN field. In an initial assessment phase, data on the national legal framework addressing CBRN risk mitigation was collected and analysed. This was followed by three technical assistance visits per country to Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia and the Philippines (November 2013, April 2014 and November 2014) during which there were further discussions about the need for new or amended legislation in the CBRN sectors with each country. In furtherance of these technical assistance visits for CBRN Legislative Action, international experts from VERTIC (the lead Implementing Partner of Project 8) have continued to work with national experts on the drafting of legislation for CBRN security and amendments of existing legislation.
The EU CBRN CoE Initiative aims to mitigate CBRN risks of criminal, accidental or natural origin by promoting a coherent policy, improving coordination and preparedness at national and regional levels and by offering a comprehensive approach covering legal, scientific, enforcement and technical issues. It aims at strengthening regional security by increasing local ownership, local expertise and long-term sustainability. This includes sharing good practices and capabilities, developing guidelines as well as identifying, collecting, analysing and deploying resources to respond to the needs identified by partner countries.
The EU CBRN CoE Initiative is funded by the European Union 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 and South-East Asia is a particular success story with Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam participating.
For more information:
- CBRN Centres of Excellence website: http://www.cbrn-coe.eu/
- European Commission, Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace website (see section about "Stable Situations"):http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/node/7350