AMMAN —
The Royal Scientific Society has established a Chemical, Biological,
Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Threat Office to advance technical and
scientific cooperation in the CBRN sector, the Jordan News Agency, Petra,
reported.
اضافة اعلان
The CBRN Threat
Office collaborates with national, regional, and international partners from
government and non-governmental organizations to promote research and best
practices in CBRN risk mitigation through the development, facilitation, and
implementation of impactful programming, RSS said in a statement on Wednesday.
With the participation of HRH Princess Sumaya bint
El Hassan, the CBRN Threat Office has recently held its first Advisory Board
meeting by hosting high-level delegations from the US Department of Energy
(DOE) and Sandia National Laboratories, the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and South Korea’s Korea Institute of Nuclear
Non-Proliferation and Control to learn more about the CBRN Threat Office’s
five-year strategic plan, and to determine ways to work together on programming
that will advance the application of CBRN sciences and related technologies
that align with the government’s safety and security priorities. The members of
the Advisory Board first met with Jordan’s national stakeholders representing
various government, military, and non-profit organizations.
The CBRN Threat
Office’s activities will be focused on identifying and mitigating the CBRN
risks threatening the region’s communities through the development of comprehensive
safety and security strategies underpinned by legislative, human, and physical
infrastructure to build healthier and more secure communities capable of facing
upcoming challenges.
Additionally,
the CBRN Threat Office provided the Advisory Board with an update on a number
of ongoing professional development initiatives for the government and public
institutions that are focused on first responders, border security, human
dependability, risk mitigation, and the removal and replacement of Cesium-based
blood irradiator sources with safer X-ray-based alternative technology.
There were
discussion on upcoming projects. That included public health, such as
bio-safety and bio-security, refugees and migration, nuclear security and
non-proliferation, including arms control, nuclear safety and security, and
illicit trafficking. Others included energy and climate security, such as
climate security and nuclear energy, and disruptive technologies, including
machine learning, tracking databases, digital image processing, and cyber
security.
Nisreen
AL-Hmoud, the director of the Bio-Safety and Bio-Security Centre at RSS that
houses the CBRN Threat Office, said that the members of “our Advisory Board
represent the most advanced international institutions operating in the CBRN
field”.
“The positive
feedback and their support to expand our work together means that we will
continue to have the tools, expertise, and insight needed to maximize the
impact and sustainability of our programming in support of the safety and security
of our country,” Hmoud said.
Following the Advisory Board meetings, the DOE and
KINAC delegations were hosted by Khaled Toukan, Samer Kahook, and Ahmad
Al-Sabbagh at the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC), the Jordan Research
and Training Reactor (JRTR), and the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science
and Applications in the Middle East.
During the visit
to JAEC, the delegates were updated on recent advances in Jordan’s nuclear
energy program, JAEC’s efforts to secure and replace Cesium-based blood
irradiator sources and the work that it carries out to analyze radioactive
samples, treat radioactive waste, and calibrate radiation-producing machines
throughout the country.
At JRTR, Kahook
highlighted the extensive efforts undertaken to develop the human resources
needed to operate the JRTR, and ensure a safe and secure environment for
running a state-of-the-art, multipurpose, advanced nuclear research complex.
Representatives
from JAEC and JRTR praised the valuable output from ongoing collaboration with
the RSS and the CBRN Threat Office.
On the final day
of their visit, the DOE delegation was hosted by the Energy and Minerals
Regulatory Commission (EMRC) and the National Center for Nuclear and
Radiological Security (NCNRS).
NCNRS Director
Samer Al-Quran, and EMRC Director for Nuclear Security Luai Al-Kiswani briefed
the DOE delegation on the advanced techniques used to strengthen the national
nuclear security system, and the successful joint projects that were
accomplished by EMRC and RSS in preparing the training curriculum and programs,
and conducting training events at the national and regional levels.
Among those, EMRC
noted the impact that the Radiation Detection Training Centre delivered in terms of capacity building,
border security, and ensuring security and safety in Jordan, a true partnership
EMRC and the RSS represented by the CBRN Threat Office.
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