Funded by the European Union
The first workshop for the drafting of a National Action Plan (NAP) for the Seychelles to mitigate Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) risks took place on 25-26 June 2015 in Victoria, Seychelles.
The workshop was held as part of the European Union CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence initiative (EU CBRN CoE) and represents the first step in the development of a NAP for Seychelles. The main objective of this first workshop was to identify the relevant CBRN risks in Seychelles by bringing together the National CBRN team and relevant stakeholders along with international experts from UNICRI.
The overall purpose of the National Action Plan is to articulate a national vision for CBRN risk mitigation into a national CBRN action plan and to identify priorities for building capacity. The National Action Plan - to be developed during a series of workshops - will be designed to ensure that separate efforts are incorporated into one coherent approach, thus strengthening national capacities for prevention, detection, preparedness and response to CBRN threats. The initiative also facilitates the identification and implementation of projects and ensures that capacity building is part of a coordinated and sustainable approach.
The event was opened by Ms Sandra Michael, the Director of Treaties section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Transport,Foreign Affairs Department.
High level national representatives from the following institutions attended the event: Attorney General’s Office; Division of Risk and Disaster Management, Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change; Environment Department, Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Transport, Foreign Affairs Department; Ministry of Health; Public Utilities Corporation; Seychelles Bureau of Standards; Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (Aviation security); Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency (SFRSA); Seychelles People Defence Forces; Seychelles Police Force; Seychelles Port Authority; Seychelles Postal Services; Seychelles Revenue Commission, Customs division; and, the University of Seychelles.
The workshop was also attended by the representatives of the British High Commission in Victoria.
The EU CBRN CoE Initiative is funded by the European Commission 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.
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