On 3-4 May 2023, the South East and Eastern Europe (SEEE) region hosted the Heads of Secretariat Meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, as part of the of the European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centers of Excellence (EU CBRN CoE) Initiative. The meeting took place in hybrid format, bringing together the Heads of Regional Secretariats and their representatives, EU officials, UNICRI Regional Coordinators, and On-Site Technical Assistance (OSA) experts of the EU CBRN CoE. Some participants who couldn’t attend the meeting in-person joined remotely.
The meeting coincided with the 10th anniversary of the SEEE Regional Secretariat, which was established in Tbilisi in 2013. The SEEE Regional Secretariat provides its services to 10 countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine. In addition to the SEEE region, three other Regional Secretariats celebrate their 10th anniversaries this year: Southeast Asia, African Atlantic Façade, and Middle East.
The primary purpose of the meeting was to capture the perspectives of the Heads of Secretariat representing the eight regions of the EU CBRN CoE and use these inputs to develop a strategic Interregional Roadmap for the period 2023-2024. The Roadmap aims to highlight the priorities of each region with a view to enhancing cooperation, strengthening local ownership and sustainability, maximizing the impact of capacity-building projects and increasing the visibility of achievements by Partner Countries. The finalized Interregional Roadmap 2023-2024 will be shared with CBRN National Focal Points (NFPs) during the upcoming International NFPs Meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Brussels, Belgium, on 14-15 June 2023.
During the meeting, the participants were also provided with updates by EU CBRN CoE Project 94 about the range of services and expert assistance available to all eight regions through the Initiative’s new global OSA project. As part of this new project, Partner Countries of the EU CBRN CoE will benefit from enhanced harmonization of services and greater opportunities for inter-regional exchange and knowledge sharing.
The EU CBRN CoE, which will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2025, collaborates with 64 Partner Countries across eight regions to mitigate CBRN risks and strengthen all-hazards security governance. By aligning and agreeing on a strategic vision among the EU CBRN CoE regions, the initiative continues to advance as a voluntary, demand-driven effort that seeks to build a safer and more secure world.
Background information:
The EU CBRN CoE 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, table top and real time (including cross-border) field exercises, inter-regional exchange of best practices and lessons learnt.
