Uniting the Middle East for action on chemical safety and security

Amman-Warsaw international conference on the chemical security of the Middle East introduced concrete proposals to enhance chemical security in the Middle East

A three-day Amman-Warsaw international conference on the chemical security of the Middle East was held in Amman April on  9 – 11 April, 2019. The leading organizers of the event are the International Center for Chemical Safety (ICCSS) in Warsaw (chemss.dqcloud2.pl) and Jordan Armed Forces.

The Conference participants came from Algeria, Canada, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Yemen, United States, international organizations, including European Union, United Nations, World Customs Organization (WCO), OSCE, industry associations and experts from around the world.

Weaponizing toxic chemicals and chemical terrorism pose grave threats to international peace and security, especially in the Middle East, where recent use of industrial chemicals as chemical weapons in Syria and as means of terror in Iraq has been confirmed, posing a fundamental challenge to the peace, security and development of the region and of the international community.

Experience has shown that no country or industry is immune to terrorism, and that no country or industry can effectively deal with proliferation or terrorism alone. Today, the need to prevent and counter chemical threats is more urgent and relevant than ever.

The conference participants welcome the results of the pilot project on the  development of chemical safety and security in Jordan, coordinated by ICCSS. The included the unique gap analysis on chemical security in Jordan, which will serves as a template for the countries of the region. They confirmed the importance for the countries of the region to cooperate to enhance chemical safety and security nationally and regionally.

The Conference initiated the development of the Middle East chemical security process, which included the development of the concepts of the chemical safety and security confidence building measures for the Middle East and regional road map on chemical safety and security, which were introduced at the Conference.

The process will include the development of Jordan as a hub of regional chemical safety and security. Jordan has been developing and introducing technical capacities and training system, which - in cooperation with international partners and ICCSS – will serve the region to educate, train all relevant stakeholders from administration, industry and academic centers. It would be a provider of best practices, capacity building and offer templates for national chemical safety and security programs.

During the conference, an agreement on cooperation was signed between the ICCSS and Joint CBRN Training Facility in Amman, which provides, intern alia, to open the ICCSS office in Amman. ICCSS plays the role of an international leader in chemical safety development in the Middle East.

The uniting the Middle East for action on chemical safety and security responds to the urgency of the situation and the need to develop an effective cooperation in chemical security in the region. The highest priority is the raising chemical security awareness and promotion of chemical safety and security culture among the national and regional stakeholders. Thus to enable peaceful uses of chemistry.

The project is implemented with the financial support of the US Defence Threat Reduction Agency.

More about project: bit.ly/ICCSSJordanProject

Link to the photo: 1drv.ms/f/s!Am6oZdcGIcIXh6N2eI3tMjgipu3Q8g