A three-day Amman-Warsaw international conference on the chemical security of the Middle East will begin in Amman April on  9 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.

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 Amman-Warsaw Conference, with the participation of the countries of the Middle East, international organizations, and experts from around the world, initiates the development of the Middle East chemical security process, through cooperation of governments, industry, academia, civil society, in coordination with international organizations.

The process includes 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.

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 conference will present the results of the pilot project on the  development of chemical safety and security in Jordan, coordinated by ICCSS. The proposals for confidence-building measures and chemical safety road map for the region will be presented and agreed. The countries of the region will cooperate in the introduction of coherent chemical safety and security mechanisms.

During the conference, an agreement will be signed to open the ICCSS regional headquarters in Amman. ICCSS plays the role of an international leader in chemical safety development in the Middle East.

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