PROJECT 082: Capacity Building for Medical Preparedness and Response to CBRN Incidents in the GCC

Context

Project 82 is a joint effort between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar under the EU CBRN Centres of Excellence (CoE) Initiative to mitigate CBRN risk by strengthening the region’s existing systems for emergency medical response to CBRN events, including natural, accidental and malignant events.

The project builds on expertise and tools developed in the Middle East through Project 54 entitled “Capacity Building for Medical Preparedness and Response to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Incidents” which was successfully implemented in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon.
The aim was to adopt a Schools of Excellence curriculum that promotes the use of expertise, network, methodology and training materials already developed in projects implemented under the EU initiative.

Overall objective 

To enhance medical preparedness and response capabilities to CBRN incidents in the GCC region.

Specific objectives

Contribute to a sustainable training framework in the region to ensure a continuous national and regional capacity to train future generations of paramedics, doctors and nurses on the management of casualties of CBRN accidents and other incidents.

Activities

1. Coordination and planning meetings to agree on the project scope, objectives, and deliverables. 2019 in Kuwait and Belgium.
2. Fact Finding Country Missions 2019/2020 to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (CBRN Emergency Medicine Training Centres, Equipment, and Master Trainers).
3. Reconnaissance Pre-Training Expert Planning Mission to United Arab Emirates in February 2023.
4. Train-the-Trainers Regional Course on “Medical Preparedness and Response to CBRN Incidents in the GCC countries” at the Aby Dhabi’s Civil Defence Academy, United Arab Emirates.

Achievements

• The specialized train-the-trainers course enhanced the capabilities of 52 prospective trainers in emergency medical preparedness and response for CBRN events.
• Trained trainers are fully equipped to train first- and second-line medical response teams in their respective partner countries.
• A regional network consisting of all participants of this training course, including direct responders to medical CBRN emergencies, as well as institutions and national training centres that will offer regionally and internationally recognised training programmes in this field, has been established.
• Some GCC partner countries are coordinating the implementation of similar activities at the national level and as part of a potential second phase of the initiative.