The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) has proposed a CBRN security governance framework. The framework covers six areas with recommended indicators and metrics:

  • Inter-agency coordination – (1) CBRN focal point and national CBRN team are in place; (2) Responsibilities are documented in precise and clear terms; (3) All CBRN-related groups are connected and work together according to their responsibilities.
  • Operations communication – (1) Communications structure is enabled; (2) Information is shared.
  • Collaboration with non-governmental stakeholders, including civil society – (1) National Team and agencies interact with a broad set of non-governmental entities, including civil society/NGOs, universities, the private business sector, and other organisations; (2) Policies are implemented transparently.
  • Regional and international cooperation – (1) National Team and agencies cooperate with other countries and agencies, especially within the region.
  • Planning – (1) A national CBRN risk assessment is conducted at least annually; (2) Emergency response plans are in place; (3) A National CBRN Action Plan is in place, including governance aspects; (4) Regional and international planning requests are supported.
  • Standards – (1) Leadership is provided for standardisation; (2) Common terminology is used, consistent with regional and international standards; (3) Common data definitions are used, consistent with regional and international standards; (4) Critical processes are documented, managed and in line with regional and international standards; (5) Incident data is recorded in a single database and shared; (6) An inter-agency human resource standard process is in place.

Results are achieved by defining and documenting the optimal practice in each operational area and then ensuring that ongoing operations follow those practices. Effective governance can be assured by measuring operations, continuous adaptation to changing CBRN threats, and objective review.

Detailed information about the framework is available here.

Source: UNICRI.

Image: Pixabay.