Middle Eastern, North Africa Responders Trained in Tunis
The 4th regional basic training course on Assistance and Protection against Chemical Weapons benefited 35 participants from various agencies involved in chemical emergency response and civil defense from Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, and United Arab Emirates.
A group of first responders from Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East and northern Africa upgraded their capabilities to respond to emergencies involving chemical warfare agents and other toxic chemicals through training facilitated by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. It took place Nov. 11-16 in Tunis, in the Republic of Tunisia.
The 4th regional basic training course on Assistance and Protection against Chemical Weapons benefited 35 participants from various agencies involved in chemical emergency response and civil defense from Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, and United Arab Emirates, OPCW reported.
Shahriar Khateri, senior programme officer from the Assistance and Protection Branch of OPCW, stressed the importance of building regional capacities to respond to chemical attacks, saying "such training courses assist OPCW Member States in fortifying their chemical emergency preparedness and in establishing a professional network in the region."
OPCW reported that the course provided information on the types and characteristics of toxic chemicals; use of PPE; the detection, sampling, monitoring, and decontamination of toxic chemicals; and first aid in the event of chemical casualties. Graduates of this basic training will progress to an advanced course that will be held in Jordan in 2019.