The EU CBRN CoE project 65 (CABICHEM) organises a regional workshop in Tashkent

On 9th October 2019, the Lotte City Palace Hotel in Tashkent has hosted the opening ceremony of a a three-day Regional Workshop organised by the EU CBRN CoE Project 65 “Strengthening chemical and biological waste management in Central Asia countries for improved security and safety risk mitigation” – CABICHEM. The Event represents a concrete opportunity to foster a long-lasting dialogue between the five Partner Countries from Central Asia: Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan as well as to define common strategies to be implemented within the CABICHEM framework and beyond. 

Around 60 participants among EU Delegates, National Focal Points and Local Experts joined the workshop demonstrating a positive and proactive approach towards the implementation of a sound cooperation.

The Regional Workshop was opened by Institutional delegates from the Regional Secretariat, the European Union, and the CABICHEM project. Mr. Bakhtiyor Gulyamov, Head of the Central Asia Regional Secretariat, outlined the main purposes of the CABICHEM project, showing the already achieved results and expectations for the next future. Mr. Jussi Narvi, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation, welcomed the audience and underlined the importance of the Project 65 implementation in Central Asia, as a significant opportunity not only to strengthen Chemical and Biological Waste Management in the region but also to demonstrate the value of regional cooperation more widely. Ms Iryna Iarema, Regional Coodinator for Central Asia, UNICRI, in her opening remarks pointed to the importance of local ownership, regional scope and sustainability in project implementation; she also underscored the benefits that the set-up of the Regional Technical Consultation Group can bring to the region. The opening session was closed by the CABICHEM Team Leader, Mr. Yaugen Ryzhykau, who described the current status of the project activities and presented the agenda of the Workshop underlying the main expectations and the role of the Local Experts involved.

The first day of activity has been dedicated to the Work Package 7 focused on the establishment of a regional technical consultation group. Ms. Giulia Rapicetta, representing Fondazione FORMIT (Italy), introduced the concept and main features of a consultation group, sharing innovative ideas to facilitate the implementation and design of a tool tailored to regional requirements. As leader of WP7, Mr. Maksymilian Stela, also Project Coordinator from the Military Institute of Chemistry and Radiometry (Poland), focused the attention on the opportunity to look for potential ways of collaboration between the arising regional technical consultation group and the already established Biosafety Association for Central Asia and the Caucasus (BACAC) network with the aim of enhancing the cooperation among countries within and outside the Central Asia region. The audience reacted positively and has been involved in an open discussion to outline the main requirements and expectations. All Partner Countries expressed their desire to receive CABICHEM assistance for building a technical consultation group.

The afternoon was dedicated to National Focal Points’ presentations mainly focused on best practices and results achieved through the CABICHEM project implementation at national level. Tailored advice and requirements for future actions have been outlined in order to facilitate the accomplishment of further activities useful for the Central Asia region.

Mr. Antonio Della Guardia, from Fondazione Alessandro Volta (Italy), closed the meeting presenting the current panorama of the Local Experts already involved in the project 65, and highlighting his desire to involve further experts before the end of the project lifecycle.

The first day of activity was very successful and allowed attendees to outline weaknesses and strengths of the CABICHEM project, thus giving to the Project Team the opportunity to refine and enhance its impact according to Partner Countries’ requirements.

For any further information about the CABICHEM project, please visit: www.cabichem.eu