The CBRNe Science and Consequence Management World Congress is taking place from 23rd to 26th October 2023 in Cavtat, Croatia.
The Congress is being co-organized and supported by the relevant Croatian authorities and international organizations, inter alia the Civil Protection Directorate of the Republic of Croatia, the CBRNe Science and Consequence Management Education Foundation, European Centre for Disaster Medicine, the Observatory on Security and CBRNe Defense and the University of Rome. As a relevant and recognised organisation, RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation has been asked to join this important event.
As a keynote speaker, H.E. Ambassador Constantin – Mihail Grigorie, RACVIAC Director, expressed his gratitude for the invitation and for the opportunity to be a part of such an outstanding event. „It is an honor for the Organization and also for the participants coming from our Members and Associate Members“, he said.
He emphasized that the CBRN-related topics have a prominent role in RACVIAC Programme, and that its intention is to keep going in that direction, in accordance with the interests of its Members and partners: “We have been organizing Chemical Weapons Convention Workshops from the very beginning, it is one of our most important annual activities, and we have co-organized this Workshop for the eighteenth time so far with The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).”
In 2022, we organized a regional workshop titled „New Technologies in Civil Protection – Robotic System against Modern CBRN Threats” with the Civil Protection Directorate of the Republic of Croatia, supported by the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.
Ambassador Grigorie also pointed out that during the last couple of years Biological Weapons Convention Workshops have become regular activities in the RACVIAC portfolio. RACVIAC partner in preparing this year’s Conference was the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit (UNODA BWCISU).
In 2024 RACVIAC plans to organize a joint workshop with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) whose objectives are to enhance the national protection programmes regarding the use of chemical warfare agents and topical industrial chemicals and to identify critical needs related to national preparedness and response capabilities of its Members.
The main topics of this year’s Congress are the protection of critical infrastructure from CBRNe threats, modern technology in CBRNe defense, and lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic from a security and defence perspective. In addition to CBRN safety and defence topics, the Directorate of Civil Protection of the Republic of Croatia and the Idaho Laboratory from the USA are organizing a one-day congressional exercise on the topic of detection and identification of radioactive elements after a nuclear and radiological incident. The goal is to provide comprehensive and practical training to emergency responders, government officials and stakeholders in managing radiological contamination incidents.
