THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
The African CBRNe Masters – a high level training course
photo: © ESDU
Taking account of the specificities of each region to anticipate CBRNe risks
Interview with Mohamed Salami, Head of the Regional Secretariat for the African Atlantic Façade (AAF) region, EU CBRN Centres of Excellence Initiative, Rabat
T
he European: Monsieur Salami, you are the Head of the Regional Secretariat for the African Atlantic Façade (AAF), one of the eight regions in the CBRN Centres of Excellence initiative (EU CBRN CoE, see insert) set up by the European Union in 2010. Today, this initiative encompasses 61 Partner Countries and fosters national, regional and interregional cooperation throughout the world to better anticipate chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents or disasters. What is the role of the Director of a Regional Secretariat? Mohamed Salami: The role of the Director of a Regional Secretariat is enshrined in the charter of Regional Secretariats of the EU CBRN CoE. The Director liaises with member countries, particularly on political and legal issues. He forges consensus among member countries of the Centres of Excellence in his region and liaises with them and the relevant stakeholders, including EU delegations and international and regional organisations, EU Member States and donors present in the region. Finally, the Director contributes to the drafting of project proposals on the basis of regional needs. The European: If I understand you correctly then, the charter is identical for all regions. But given the big differences between the regions, how are the specific needs of each region taken into account?
42
Mohamed Salami: Yes, you are right, the charter is indeed the same for all regions, but each region has its own specificities. That is why the person who is appointed Head of the Regional Secretariat may take initiatives of his own, as long as they are consistent with the general philosophy and the principles underlying the initiative. This means that the Head of the Regional Secretariat has to be able to devise responses to the various challenges facing his region, beyond those advocated by the charter. The European: Are we talking here mainly of national projects or are there joint projects coordinated with other partners in the region? And what is the role of the European Commission, or more particularly DG DEVCO, in the projects initiated in the eight regions? Mohamed Salami: The projects and their goals are usually the result of needs expressed by the regions themselves. Each region has its own methodology, established jointly by the Regional Secretariat and the various National Focal Points – NFPs – that have been designated in each country of a Region under the EU CBRN CoE initiative. Each project produces its own terms of reference. These are initially drafted by the Regional Secretariat, then discussed and endorsed by the NFPs, before being submitted to the EU for ap-