Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 1 Regional Assistance and Protection Concept CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking Assistance and Protection Branch International Cooperation and Assistance Division

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 2 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Objectives of this presentation  Rationale, and purpose for the Regional AP Centres  Existing States Parties AP Training Centres  Establishment of Regional AP Centres  Financial implications  The Role of Donors, & the Technical Secretariat  Way forward and timelines  Coordination with Regional & International organisations  Regional Networking

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 3 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Rationale !  Second Review Conference (RC 2- April 2008) to Review the Operation of the CWCappreciated the Secretariat’s efforts in providing expert advice to States Parties that wish to establish or further develop their emergency-response capacity  Second Review Conference (RC 2- April 2008) to Review the Operation of the CWC appreciated the Secretariat’s efforts in providing expert advice to States Parties that wish to establish or further develop their emergency-response capacity  RC 2 also welcomed the effectiveness and efficiency of the increased focus on making full use of regional and sub regional capacities and expertise, including taking advantage of training centres  Report of the Advisory Panel (July 2011) on future priorities of the OPCW - a stronger regional approach would benefit both the States Parties and the OPCW

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 4 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Rationale !  The number of training projects have significantly increased during recent years due to the high level of interest of States Parties in the assistance and protection  Theoretical and practical assistance and protection courses and table- top and field exercises conducted more at the regional, and international levels than national to satisfy States Parties’ protection capacity requests  The OPCW has been working within the constraints of allocated limited resources to provide training to States Parties

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 5 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Purpose Regional AP Centres  Regional and subregional Assistance and Protection Centres under the Convention (CWCAPC) as tool to support States Parties in the further development of the OPCW regional capacity-building approach  Regional and subregional AP centres would provide relevant training to representatives of the region and/or to act as regional emergency-response focal  Promotes Regional Networking

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 6 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Existing AP Training Centres  In addition to TS “in-house” resources  TS has been utilising developed existing training facilities, instructors, and equipment in order to build an assistance-and-protection capacity against chemical weapons  Africa: South Africa  Asia: China, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Singapore,  Europe: Czech Republic, Finland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland  Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Brazil  New centres: Belarus, Poland, Qatar

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 7 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Establishment of Regional AP Centres  Regional and subregional AP centres could be existing ones or those developed specifically for this purpose  Requires the guidelines, which will set minimum criteria for infrastructural, technical, and human resources  Moreover, it would be desirable to develop standards for responses to incidents involving the use of chemical weapons  The Secretariat could appeal to potential donor States for the provision of such equipment and for assistance in training of AP Centres instructors and maintenance personnel

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 8 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Proposed Guidelines for Minimum Requirements for Regional AP Centres  Infrastructure  Human resources  Protective equipment  Financial cost

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 9 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Financial implications  The Secretariat will not bear the cost of the establishment of the infrastructure of the Regional and subregional APCs  The Secretariat not bear the operation (running costs, utilities, maintenance, cost of training equipment and materials, payment to instructors and other personnel)  The facilities for AP Centres need to be offered by a State Party in the region, or an international or regional organisation (e.g. the existing army, fire fighters or peacekeeping training centres)

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 10 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Financial implications  The budget required for the establishment of these centres will depend on the infrastructure required to meet minimum criteria  This cost can be borne by the offering States Parties or donors  The cost can be also shared between the State Parties of the region and/or regional organisations  The cost of participation in jointly organised training activities (participants’ travel, accommodation, meals and visas) will be met by the Secretariat through available resources in the regular budget, and voluntary contributions

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 11 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  The Role of Donors  To ensure self–sufficiency and sustainability of the operation of Regional and subregional APCs, assistance of international donors (States Parties and international organisations) will be required  Such assistance should include the donation of training equipment and materials, the provision of training together with the Secretariat, and financial assistance  Donors’ contributions could complement existing assets provided by States Parties or regional/international organisations in the subregion

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 12 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  The Role of Donors  In some cases, the modernisation or upgrade of existing training facilities will be needed  The Secretariat will be able to provide donors with information on requirements, including expertise and a list of equipment necessary for the creation of specific Regional and subregional APCs  With the support of the Secretariat, several donors could combine and coordinate their efforts in support of specific Regional and subregional APCs

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 13 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  The Role of the Technical Secretariat  The Secretariat will be to provide an analysis of the needs of subregions  Organise the process of consultations on pilot projects of the establishment of the Regional and subregional APCs with States Parties/international organisations in the identified subregions/regions  Provide expert and technical support for the establishment of the centres  The Secretariat can jointly organise and sponsor training activities for AP Centres instructors, as well as provide training modules used in its capacity building programmes under Article X

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 14 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Way forward and timelines  The Secretariat will be able to explore options for one or two pilot projects for the establishment of the Regional and subregional APCs with States Parties and regional/international organisations in the subregions where capabilities of protection against chemical weapons are inexistent or rudimentary  The Secretariat could build on existing capacities created in the OPCW series of courses conducted for the subregional/national capacity-building projects in previous years  For example in Africa, the Latin America and Caribbean region, and in Central Asia  Each pilot project would involve four to five countries of a subregion and would take place in existing or new training facilities, which are prepared for operation with a duration of up to two years

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 15 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Coordination with Regional & International organisations  The Secretariat could identify and liaise with international/regional/ subregional organisations  In order to promote regional capacity building against CW attacks and create relevant regional networks, including the establishment of the Regional and subregional APCs  These organisations could coordinate with the OPCW in providing political and possibly logistical and financial support for the Regional and subregional AP Centres

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 16 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept  Regional Networking  The Emergency Assistance System usually involves other components of disaster management, and besides C - threats also covers other types of threat, including BRN incidents and even natural disasters  The OPCW can cover only the chemical component of such a comprehensive system  An efficient regional emergency network - the development of an effective regional ‑ emergency warning system, and of logistic and administrative agreements between countries  Shared expertise, experience and best practices on chemical protection between States Parties and among regional actors  Optimisation of regional chemical ‑ protection capabilities by creation of regional / sub regional networks

Working together for a world free of chemical weapons 23 June 2016Click on Insert > Slide Number to enter your title here 17 CWC Assistance and Protection Centres and Regional Networking - Concept Questions?