US G7 Global Partnership 2020 Presidency has demonstrated a true multilateralism in action and offered a venue for an effective multi-stakeholder, multi-discipline, inclusive and global Cooperation.
Several on-line Plenary Sessions chaired chaired by Phil Dolliff, US Deputy Assistant State Secretary, were attended by a multi-stakeholder audience representing governments, international organisations, academia, civil society and industries. The plenary sessions were supported by the work of the relevant working groups which covered the nuclear, biological, chemical issues, and CBRN Working Group.
2020 G7 Global Partnershipcreated a true venue for multi-stakeholder cooperation and whole government or whole- society approach to reduce CBRN threats, as GP core task, with an emphasis on chem-bio threats.
G7 Global Partnership communication strategy was approved, which included development of a new website: www.gpwmd.com, the issuing regular newsletter and GP Twitter account: @GPWMDofficial. The partners agreed to strengthen the participation of private sector and civil society in the G7 GP work, as proposed by ICCSS, including engagement of donors from outside GP community.
US Presidency initiated review of G7 Global Partnership process. As a global leader and participant in national, regional and worldwide chemical safety and security efforts, ICCSS welcomed the importance given by the US Presidency to chemical threat reduction and chemical security.
ICCSS took an active part in the plenary sessions and in the work of the Chemical Security Working Group. ICCSS was represented by senior management and members of the ICCSS Global Team Members, with partners from Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, India, Japan, Jordan, US, who represented multi-stakeholder community, what significantly expanded GP reach in geography and in substance.
G7 Global Partnership 2021 goes to the United Kingdom. ICCSS hopes the United Kingdom 2021 GP Presidency will continue chemical safety and security and cybersecurity as priorities.
Relevant information and documents:
ICCSS inG7 Global Partnership – ICCSS is a member of the G7 Global Partnership (G7 GP) Working Group against the spread of materials and weapons of mass destruction and actively participates in the Plenary Sessions and in the Chemical Security Working Group (CSWG), Biosecurity Working Group (BSWG) and CBRN Working Group. ICCSS leads within the G7 GP regional chemical safety and security. ICCSS jointly with Jordan seek G7 GP support for the program on chemical safety and security in Jordan and the Middle East. ICCSS proposals to enhance resilience against cyber threats and reliability in chemical and petrochemical industries will be discussed further in the G7 GP Working Groups.
The Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (G7 Global Partnership) www.gpwmd.com is a G7-led, 31-member international initiative aimed at preventing the proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons and related materials. The Global Partnership serves as an international forum for coordination and delivery of programming to prevent CBRN terrorism and proliferation, follows a set of Principles and Guidelines that were established at the Kananaskis Summit (2002). G7 GP is chaired by GP Presidency. The Global Partnership relies on all member nations and partner organizations to bring their ideas and resources to the table. It also welcomes suggestions and proposals for collaborative threat reduction programming from external implementing partners (e.g. NGOs). Canada leads the G7 GP matchmaking.
Going Regional on Chem-Bio Safety and Security. Each region poses different security challenges as well as opportunities. Different regions have their own cultural distinctiveness, and this is true even within regions. Many regions do not have the capacity to take on many of the existing chem-bio safety and security risks and challenges. Because of growing chemical and bio security risks, ICCSS has identified and developed concrete programs for the regions of Eastern Europe and the Middle East, as priorities. Within ICCSS implemented EU-CHEM-REACT program, financed by EU, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova are engaged in the development of modern civil protection and chemical and bio threat reduction. Within the ICCSS led Jordan program on chemical safety and security, financed by US DTRA, Jordan developed a model chemical security national regulatory framework. The project development offers Jordan as regional hub for chemical safety and security. This program will also cover bio-security concerns. France offered support and provided first financial installment for the project on the development of Jordan as regional hub for chemical safety and security. Within NET-CBRN-REACT project, financed by the EU, ICCSS has built a multi-stakeholder partnership from Eastern Europe, Middle East, international organisations and industries, to cooperate and exchange in civil protection knowledge, trainings and exercises.
Digitizing Industry to Enhance Chem-Bio Security And Cybersecurity in time of COVID-19 pandemic
Each day we hear news about hackers hijacking bank accounts, loss of huge of data, attacks on critical infrastructure, what reminds of the importance of cybersecurity for Industrial Control Systems (ICS). ICCSS promotes cyber security as a core element of the broadly, holistically understood "security and protection" of the enterprise. This allows to integrate cybersecurity with safety security and reliability.
ICCSS has moved from paper safety and security to digital/computerized security, which enable to monitor the industry process in real time. Use of new technologies of digitizing industrial plants, combined with existing techniques, such as Asset Integrity Management (AIM), assist to overcome the cyber-threats associated with the digital industry. Automating policies, procedures and reporting within integrated management platforms, will lead to better coordination, consistency, transparency, and reduce costs.
ICCSS leads the development, with an international Group, of the Manual on Good Practices on Cybersecurity and Reliability in the Chemical and Energy Carriers Industries. It will help build awareness of cyber attacks and spread the cybersecurity culture. We invite Members of GPWG to join the Manual development and its global promotion.