(Seychelles News Agency) - Several agencies in Seychelles are taking part in a tabletop exercise that aims to empower them to prepare and respond to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) events.

Taking place at the Laila Resort at Anse Royale, the training has representatives from agencies such as the Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD), the Seychelles Police, the Ministry of Health, and the Department of Environment, among others.

The Tabletop Exercise (TTX) is part of the project "Toolkit on Effective CBRN Planning and Response for Policy-makers and CBRN Managers." It is organised by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), in partnership with the United States (US) Department of State (DoS) and the European Union CBRN Centres of Excellence Initiative (CoE).

Francesco Morelli, the head of the CBRN Unit of UNICRI, who is leading the three-day workshop, said that it is very important for countries to be ready at all times to deal with such an event.

"We are discussing what are the most important steps to be taken so that effective response can be delivered immediately," said Morelli.

There are three main objectives of the project and these include identifying common challenges and good practices in the response phase of previous CBRN events. Another objective is to simplify the main tools that policy-makers and CBRN managers can use to develop and implement CBRN response plans. The final one is to establish a network of regional stakeholders that includes national, international, and academic experts committed to sharing experiences and improving coordination in the "day after" phase of a CBRN event.

For the exercise taking place in Seychelles, participants will engage in scenario-based discussions that reflect the complexities of decision-making and response in real-world CBRN events.

Morelli explained that in the Seychelles context, while there is a low probability of such an event happening, it will have a huge impact on the country. It is, therefore, very important for all government departments and agencies that are responsible for dealing with such matters to be well prepared.

"They will have to know how to work together and make effective use of available resources and also to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the threat so that the response can be specific to it," added Morelli.

The CBRN National Team of Seychelles will after this workshop develop a National Action Plan, capturing the priority risks and the existing capacity gaps needed to address those risks.

The CBRN Toolkit for policymakers is considered an effective tool to respond to those identified priorities and strengthen the country's capacity to prepare, prevent, and respond to CBRN incidents.