An advanced course on assistance and protection against chemical weapons was held in Islamabad, Pakistan from October 27-31, 2014.
The course was jointly organized by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and Pakistan’s Defence Science & Technology Organization (DESTO) Chem-Bio Defence Cell.
It was the second of a series of three courses for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries using the OPCW’s new approach of conducting complete training cycle programs in a given calendar year.
SAARC membership is comprised of the following countries: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Malaysia, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
The course is designed to build capacity in assistance and protection against chemical weapons. It offered advanced training in:
- Use of protective equipment
- Monitoring and detection of threats
- Decontamination operations
- Responding to CWA and toxic industrial chemical incidents
The training events are conducted under Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
