Women in CBRN – Southeast Asia: Brigadier General Dr. Sat Chansovannary (Cambodia)

The upcoming EU CBRN CoE Newsletter will put the spotlight on Women in CBRN. Meet some of the inspiring professionals contributing to CBRN risk mitigation across the CoE network ahead of the release.

Brigadier General Dr. Sat Chansovannary is Deputy Director of the Chemical Substance Control Department at the General Secretariat of the National Authority for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (GS NACW) of Cambodia. Since 2019, she has actively participated in EU CBRN CoE capacity-building projects, demonstrating outstanding leadership in the field of CBRN risk mitigation. 

A first capacity-building experience with the EU CBRN CoE

During EU CBRN CoE Project 61 — Sound Management of Chemicals and their Associated Wastes in Southeast Asia SEACHEM — she represented Cambodia as a trainee and participated in the project’s Train-the-Trainer Course. 

These activities enhanced her knowledge of prevention, preparedness and response to chemical incidents and provided her with the confidence and skills to deliver complementary trainings to the NACW CBRN Response Team together with her colleagues. This achievement demonstrated Cambodia’s commitment and competency to carry forward and advance chemical safety and security. 

Coordinating an expert team during the 2023 Southeast Asian Games

In 2022, GS NACW was tasked to be ready to respond to potential CBRN incidents or attacks during the 2023 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). The implementation of this task was supported by an EU CBRN Expert Team under Project 62 — On-Site Technical Assistance to the EU CBRN CoE Regional Secretariat for Southeast Asia — and BG. Dr. Chansovannary was responsible for the coordination of all related activities, including the development of the CBRN Team Concept, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the Training Programme, Training Delivery, as well as a Table-Top and Field Exercise. 

“During several months of implementation, with the support of the EU CBRN CoE Expert Team, we strengthened our CBRN Response Team’s capabilities and we successfully met all our objectives during SEA Games 2023. I consider this a major achievement reflecting our commitment to advance and improve our CBRN response capabilities,” BG. Dr. Chansovannary said. 

Supporting the implementation of a biosafety and biosecurity project

BG. Dr. Chansovannary was also responsible for supporting the implementation of EU CBRN CoE Project 81 – Enhanced Biosecurity in Southeast Asia BIOSEC — helping strengthen biosafety and biosecurity in Cambodia. 

“We were very pleased to have this project in Cambodia, because we gained knowledge and experience to implement the BWC, including helping us improve the preparation of CBM Reports, and we also started to implement a National Inventory of Dangerous Pathogens database,” BG. Dr. Chansovannary explained. 

Representing Cambodia at the BWC Working Group 

As a result of her effort, she was nominated to participate as a representative of Cambodia at the Fourth Session of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention on 19–23 August 2024 in Geneva. “This was a significant professional milestone,” BG. Dr. Chansovannary said. 

“I was proud to represent my country at such an important international meeting dedicated to enhancing peace and security, and I believe we will continue to successfully implement the BWC in Cambodia.”

Promotion to the rank of general by Cambodia’s NACW

In 2022, in recognition of her dedication to CBRN risk mitigation, BG. Dr. Chansovannary was promoted to the rank of general. 

“I am very grateful for the promotion, and I would like to thank NACW Secretary General H.E. General Phorn Nara for his leadership and for the opportunities to work on EU CBRN CoE Projects, among other CBRN tasks and activities implemented at the GS of NACW in Cambodia,” BG. Dr. Chansovannary said.