METHODOLOGY FOR NATIONAL-LEVEL CAPACITY ASSESSMENT

Efforts to prevent and counter the misuse of CBRN agents, materials, or related information reinforce the international regimes that outlaw chemical and biological weapons and prohibit the spread of nuclear weapons (collectively known as weapons of mass destruction, WMD). These efforts cut across multiple domains of activity spanning the entire cycle of use of chemical, biological, radioactive, or nuclear materials and related information which includes development, production, safe handling, storage, transport, transfer, and disposal.

This report outlines a methodology for assessing national capacity for countering the misuse of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) materials and related information. The proposed methodology is grounded in an all-hazard approach for addressing CBRN risks regardless of their cause and highlights specific aspects of the process of preventing and responding to CBRN threats. Its development is underpinned by the following assumptions:

• CBRN security falls within the remit of multiple international regimes.
• CBRN security cuts across different sectors within government and civil society.
• CBRN security capacity entails a shared commitment among stakeholders to the goals of CBRN security risk management.

The methodology provides a framework for CBRN security capacity assessment at the national level which focuses on the role of stakeholder interaction in the process of preventing and responding to CBRN threats.

The methodology for CBRN security assessment was piloted during a series of national training workshops that took place between February and October 2022. Four workshops took place (one in Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, and Spain, respectively) bringing together a total of over 80 first responders and representatives of civil society, including academia. The workshops provided an invaluable opportunity to collect feedback on the methodology concept from stakeholders and end-users and ensure that the final product corresponds to the needs of relevant professional communities.

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