What does it mean to be the National Focal Point for the European Union (EU) Centres of Excellence (CoE) on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risk mitigation? And how do we make the initiative more sustainable by attracting other donors? To answer these and other questions, UNICRI, with the support of the European Commission, organized the second edition of the CBRN CoE Academy.
From 19 to 21 November 2024, 130 participants from partner countries and partner organizations of the initiative gathered at the United Nations Campus in Turin, Italy, to actively participate in the event. The CBRN CoE Academy provided a platform for the National Focal Points of the CBRN Centres of Excellence initiative to enhance their CBRN knowledge, share experiences, and strenghten specific skills.
Through a combination of training methodologies and practical exercises, participants engaged in new learning experiences, interacting with trainers and one another. These activities encouraged the exchange of knowledge and best practices, fostering collaboration and strengthening professional relationships among participants. Critical to the academy week was the ability of participants to interact and reinforce a shared sense of purpose and partnership within the CBRN CoE network.
The first day of the event focused on the CBRN CoE Initiative itself. The global network of 63 partner countries discussed how in each country the National Focal Points set up a National CBRN Team, composed of all relevant Ministries and Agencies; how these teams, with the support of the European Commission and Onsite Technical Assistance (OSA) experts, assess the country’s needs and prepare National Action Plans; and how these national needs and priorities are shared at the regional level with the support of the 8 Regional Secretariats, the Heads of Secretariats, and the UNICRI Regional Coordinators. This process results in Regional Action Plans and regional project proposals.
The Regional Action Plans, as well as the National Actions Plans, include priorities and measures that should be implemented. However, as early as 2018, the European Court of Auditors concluded that National Action Plans “list many measures which cannot be carried out in full using national budgets and Initiative resources alone’ and recommended that the EU CBRN CoE Initiative should ‘identify potential synergies and other available funding sources.” Day two and three of the Academy, therefore, focused on skill-building to mobilize resources. This included mapping relevant donors and drafting project proposals, to address their CBRN needs.
Through the CBRN CoE Academy, UNICRI and the European Commission have supported the National Focal Points in strengthening and honing skills, enabling them to better perform their tasks and roles and making the EU CBRN CoE Initiative more sustainable.