On 13-14 December, NIM Legal Officer Cédric Apercé participated in the Technical Consultation on National Cross-sectoral Collaboration between Security and Health Sectors organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Hong Kong, SAR China. Mr Apercé’s participation was part of VERTIC’s involvement in the European Union Centres of Excellence (CoE) Initiative Project 53 “Strengthening the National Legal Framework and Provision of Specialized Training on Bio-Safety and Bio-Security in Central Asian Countries”.
The Technical Consultation gathered 51 participants from 19 countries, international organisations and non-governmental actors with the objectives to enhance countries’ capacities under the International Health Regulations (IHR) requirements to prevent, detect and respond to potential public health emergencies; and facilitate sharing experiences between countries to identify best practices and develop a framework for military and civilian health collaboration.
Mr Apercé presented the report on “Emergency Response Planning in Central Asia: Common Challenges and Opportunities for Cooperation” prepared by VERTIC under EU CBRN CoE Project 53. The report identifies key requirements and best practices from guidance documents on the Common Alert Protocol (CAP) and Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) and summarises the policies and procedures in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan with regard to emergency responses. It focuses on national legislation and institutions, and ultimately draws regional initiatives, common challenges, and opportunities for co-operation in emergency response planning in Central Asia.
VERTIC and Project 53 are grateful to WHO for its invitation to participate in this important event.