Regional Training Course for BWC National Contact Points and Outreach Workshop on the Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical, Bacteriological (Biological) or Toxin Weapons
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) will organize a Regional Training Course for African BWC National Contact Points (NCPs) and an Outreach Workshop on the Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical, Bacteriological (Biological) or Toxin Weapons (UNSGM). The events will be held at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC-AA), Conference Room 5, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 16-18 May 2023.
The Regional Training Course will provide dedicated guidance to NCPs on the implementation of the BWC, including practical information and skills pertaining to the roles and responsibilities of NCPs and best practices in developing legislation, action plans, and preparing Confidence Building Measures (CBMs). The Regional Training Course for NCPs has been designed by UNODA, with the financial support of the European Union, as a dedicated capacity-building initiative in response to requests for support from NCPs relevant to their critical role in fulfilling their State's obligations under the Convention.
The Outreach Workshop will provide a platform to inform NCPs about the mandate and background of the United Nations Secretary-General's Mechanism for Investigations of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons (UNSGM), which is currently the only international mechanism for the investigation of alleged use of biological weapons. The UNSGM Outreach Workshop, organized by UNODA with financial support from Canada and the European Union, is aimed at raising awareness about the Mechanism and prospects for future engagement with UNODA's support. It will provide information about the process for the nomination of experts and laboratories to the UNSGM roster, their respective roles, as well as an overview of existing training programmes and cooperation with other international partners engaged in UNSGM capacity-building activities.
The Regional Training Course and Outreach Workshop are aimed at all national representatives or entities serving as BWC NCPs designated by their respective national authorities or who could potentially assume such responsibility. Participation will be limited to one representative per State Party.
The events will be conducted in English and interpretation into French will be provided.
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Time: 9:00 to 17:30
