EU and UN Group of Friends of CBRN Risk Mitigation and Security Governance organise High-level Side event in the context of Combatting Terrorism

29 September 2016, New York –  Within the framework of EU CBRN Centres of Excellence Initiative, the UN Group of Friends of CBRN Risk Mitigation and Security Governance organised today a High-level Side Event at the United Nations General Assembly entitled “CBRN Risk Mitigation in the context of Combatting Terrorism”.

The side event gathered approximately 50 representatives from permanent missions to the UN, the European Union, UNICRI, UNSC 1540 Committee, OPCW, and GICNT, as well as international experts from public and private organisations.

Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN, opened the event jointly with the Deputy Foreign Ministers from Georgia (Mr David Dondua ) and the Philippines (Mr Ariel Y. Abadilla), followed by the EU representative (Mr Bruno Dupré), the EU coordinator of the CBRN initiative from (Mr Tristan Simonart) and the Director of UNICRI (Mrs Cindy Smith) .

Ambassador Juan Manuel Gonzales-Linares, Deputy Permanent Representative of Spain, UNSC 1540 Committee, outlined the increasing and beneficial collaboration between the EI initiative and the 1540 activities. He was followed by high representatives from the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre, OPCW and GICNT, emphasising the benefits provided by the National Action Plans supported by the EU CoE.

H.E. Ambassador Kaha Imnadze, Permanent Representative of Georgia and H.E. Ambassador Lourdes O. Yparraguirre, Permanent Representative of Philippines, issued concluding remarks underlying the willingness of the Group of Friends to support diplomatically the CoE initiative.

The event addressed the threats posed by chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) materials which are indeed at the top of the international security agenda. It is becoming increasingly evident that an effective mitigation strategy requires a very high level of cooperation and coordination both between different national agencies and among countries, and international and regional organizations.

The discussion was continued by a panel of international experts from public (e.g. FBI-US, DSTL-UK), academic and private sectors a specific, addressing emerging threats posed by new technologies such as artificial intelligence, biological and cyber security in the age of big data and autonomous technologies to defend against CBRN terrorism.

The side event served to enhance awareness of the current and possible future CBRN threats, not excluding those related to terrorism. Technological developments in particular must be taken into account. The debate should focus on improving global capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to CBRN threats by strengthening the procedures and interoperability of relevant international mechanisms.

The side event showcased how the best practices developed by the European Union CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative (e/g. regional bottom up projects, CBRN needs assessments and national action plans), as promoted and enhanced by the United Nations Group of Friends of CBRN Risk Mitigation and Security Governance, can serve as a model for adopting best practices in other areas of security governance.

Created by the European Union and implemented by UNICRI and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, the Initiative has established a framework for cooperation and coordination across all levels of government and amongst international partners, such as IAEA, OPCW, BWC ISU, 1540 Committee, WHO and other relevant actors. The Initiative facilitates regional cooperation to enhance CBRN capabilities and currently involves 55 countries in 8 regions of the world, namely: the African Atlantic Façade; Central Asia; Eastern and Central Africa; the Gulf Cooperation Countries; the Middle East; North Africa and Sahel; South East Asia; and South East and Eastern Europe.

The UN Group of Friends of CBRN Risk Mitigation and Security Governance that contributes to the side event was established by the Governments of Georgia, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of the Philippines with aim to address CBRN related topics at the United Nations. The Group is a consultation and dialogue forum aimed at integrating the CBRN component in the international security architecture, sensitizing states on the importance of mitigating CBRN risks, and foster regional cooperation on CBRN challenges.

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