The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and partners organized a workshop on Technology and Security: Prevention, Detection and Response to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Terrorism and Organized Criminal Activities in Accra, Ghana from 27 to 29 March 2023.
The event was hosted in partnership with the European Union Centres of Excellence on Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation (CBRN CoE), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and its objectives were to:
- Better understand science and technology associated risks related to the development and deployment of CBRN hazardous materials and the infiltration of the legitimate supply chain; and
- Identify science and technology solutions to support Member States’ efforts to combat CBRN terrorism and organized criminal activities.
Participants included national experts from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone in the areas of CBRN risk mitigation and the fight against different forms of illicit trade aiming at breaching the integrity of the products’ supply chain (such as trafficking in illicit pesticides, fuel frauds, falsified medicines and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing). The event also gathered experts from the private sector and research laboratories whose expertise was key to better understanding how technology solutions operate and their benefits.
Ghana’s Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, officially opened the workshop.
By sharing knowledge and expertise through exercises and group discussions, the workshop allowed participants to identify existing, new, and emerging technological trends and their applications for preventing, limiting and responding to threats posed by CBRN terrorism and organized crime.
The workshop was also an opportunity to discuss the possible way forward to reinforce national and regional strategies to prevent these threats, as well as to identify new areas where research and technology developments are required.
