STCU News and Announcements
STCU P100 Strengthens Frontline Biosafety and Biosecurity Measures in Southeast and Eastern European Region: Regional Technical Workshop
418/49604 Oct 2024
PRESS RELEASE
On September 19-20, 2024, the Regional Technical Workshop took place in Istanbul as part of the P100 Strengthening of Frontline Biosafety and Biosecurity Measures in the Southeast and Eastern Europe Region. The event brought together above 40 key representatives from border services, customs agencies, ministries of health, agriculture, and foreign affairs, as well as food safety and phytosanitary agencies, from eight beneficiary countries, including Albania, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Ukraine.
This critical workshop provided an opportunity for these agencies to collaboratively identify and define key topics for the upcoming P100 training events and exercise sessions. These will include Train-the-Trainer courses, national-level trainings, and table-top exercises, along with field simulations at cross-border, subregional, and regional levels. The participation of officials from the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSA), alongside technical experts from the P100 and P106 projects, added substantial value to the discussions and planning.
A key outcome of the workshop was the active role that beneficiary countries played in shaping the focus of the training sessions. Participants emphasized that the training should prioritize the critical stages of biothreat reduction: detection, identification, mitigation, and communication. These core areas are vital for developing an effective and coordinated response to biological risks at state borders. Detection and identification are essential for preventing the escalation of biohazards, while mitigation efforts focus on containing the spread and minimizing the impact of any incident. Additionally, effective communication between national and international agencies will be pivotal to ensuring swift decision-making and response coordination during crises.
Furthermore, participants suggested that the national-level training and tabletop exercises should mirror the approach used in the Train-the-Trainer course and subregional tabletop exercise. This alignment would allow for the testing and refinement of the same systems across different contexts, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of biosafety and biosecurity protocols. While the subregional exercises focus on cross-border cooperation, the national-level sessions will emphasize country-specific requirements related to the organization of biosafety and biosecurity measures. This includes national strategies for responding to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents and accidents, tailored to each country’s unique legal and operational frameworks.
By integrating country-specific considerations with the broader regional objectives, the workshop set the stage for a holistic and effective biosafety and biosecurity framework. This approach will enable Southeast and Eastern European countries to not only strengthen their national preparedness but also enhance cross-border cooperation in the face of emerging biological threats. The workshop’s success reinforces the critical importance of regional collaboration in addressing today’s global health and security challenges.
STCU together with the EU expresses its gratitude to all participants for their cooperation and commitment to strengthening biosafety and biosecurity measures in the SEEE Region. This initiative underscores STCU's and EU’s dedication to enhancing BS&S measures in the SEEE region and fostering international collaboration to mitigate biological threats effectively.
About STCU
The Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) is an intergovernmental organization that facilitates international science and technology collaborations between Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, and STCU Member States.
www.stcu.int
For more information about P100 and efforts to enhance front-line biosafety and biosecurity measures in the SEEE region, please visit http://www.coe-project100.stcu.int.