EU CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative

PRESS RELEASE

EU Centres of Excellence Fund Specialized Training on Bio-Safety and Bio-Security in Central Asian Countries

On 26 August 2016 the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) signed a contract with a consortium, which is led by Sustainable Criminal Justice Solutions (SCJS) and includes Public Health England (PHE), VERTIC and Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM).  They will provide expert legislative and biosafety/ biosecurity support to the ISTC during implementation of the EU Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Centers of Excellence Initiative Project 53 (CBRN CoE P53) “Strengthening the National Legal Framework and Provision of Specialized Training on Bio-Safety and Bio-Security in Central Asian Countries”.  Work will start in September 2016 and complete by December 2018.

The objectives of CBRN CoE P53 are to strengthen the legal framework and to provide specialized training on bio-safety and bio-security in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The ISTC and winning consortium will work closely with National Focal Points and Technical Experts to deliver the program of work in each country. Implementation of CBRN CoE P53 will support their international commitment to both enact the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) and uphold the United National Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1540.

The European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear risk mitigation Centres of Excellence (EU CBRN CoE, www.cbrn-coe.eu) initiative currently covers 8 regions and 54 partner countries. The secretariat for Central Asia is based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. They work in partnership with countries to encourage local ownership of CBRN action plans, policies and project proposals. The EU funds projects using a bottom-up approach, implemented in cooperation between EU and local experts. The ISTC has funded and managed several hundred projects in Central Asia over the past 20 years, whilst the consortium members complement this with their experience in implementing international legislative projects (SCJS and VERTIC), and, developing and providing bio-safety and bio-security training programs (PHE, RIVM).

www.istc.int     www.sjcs.eu    www.vertic.org/     www.rivm.nl/en

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england