Spotlight: Removing hurdles in Africa’s efforts to curb WMD

The ISS directory of CBRN assistance-providers promotes capacity-building, and complements the AU’s increasingly active role in this area.

When it comes to keeping states and citizens safe from weapons of mass destruction (WMD), African efforts form part of an intricate global web of regulations, treaties and conventions.

Einas Mohammed
Einas Mohammed, Senior Policy Officer on Disarmament and Nonproliferation, AU Commission

Key among these is United Nations Security Council resolution 1540, which imposes binding obligations on all UN member states to stop the world’s deadliest weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists and criminal organisations.

Abiding by resolution 1540 and related instruments means putting in place the laws and controls needed to stop the proliferation and delivery of WMD; and to curb the illicit trafficking of related materials.

But therein lies the rub: although this is a priority for Africa, and the political will to implement these controls exists, it often exceeds the capacity required to do so.

Plentiful support is available to help states in this regard, but opportunities often go underutilised. The first hurdle is sufficient awareness of the assistance on offer.

To this end, the ISS compiled and launched a comprehensive directory of capacity-building programmes for African states in the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) areas. The 95-page directory maps out resources offered by states, international organisations as well as civil society entities, and provides detailed descriptions of the types of assistance, relevant projects and contact points.

The inventory complements the AU’s work in promoting the full implementation of resolution 1540

Participant
Click the image to download the guide

The inventory provides an invaluable overview to African states, and complements the increasingly active role of the African Union Commission in promoting the full implementation of resolution 1540 and related instruments.

It was launched at a seminar hosted by the AU in collaboration with the ISS in Addis Ababa on 9 December 2016, attended by some 40 representatives from various AU member states and international bodies.

The directory fills a very clear gap. It’s an indication of the very hands-on work that the ISS can deliver,’ says Einas Mohammed, Senior Policy Officer on Disarmament and Nonproliferation in the Defense and Security Division of the AU Peace and Security Department. 

The seminar, which also covered aspects of implementing resolution 1540 and tackling CBRN terrorism more broadly, builds on previous work of the ISS WMD programme.

Panel
Alain Botre, Political Affairs Officer at UNREC; Einas Mohammed, Senior Policy Officer on Disarmament and Nonproliferation, AU Commission; Khalid Abdelrahman, the Pillar Head of Security Institutions Capacity-building at IGAD Secretariat (Security Sector)

‘The AU is ideally positioned to liaise both with AU member states and with assistance providers on capacity-building issues, and to assist in shaping continent dynamics,’ says Nicolas Kasprzyk, ISS consultant and co-author of the directory.  

Fulfilling the obligations of resolution 1540 and other CBRN instruments not only means that citizens and states are kept safer, but also plays a role in furthering various developmental goals – including improved environmental protection, public health and border controls. As such, these efforts should be seen not only to form part of the global mesh of WMD-related controls, but also as playing a significant role in the continent’s move to fulfil the aspirations of Agenda 2063.

For more information, contact:

Nicolas Kasprzyk, [email protected]

Pictures: ©Jacqueline Cochrane/ISS

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