The OPCW and the Republic of Serbia co-organised the Ninth International Basic Course on Assistance and Protection from 3 to 7 June 2013. The course was held at the NBC Training Centre of the Serbian Armed Forces in Kruševac for participants from 13 States Parties.*
The course is designed for responders to chemical emergencies. Such courses significantly broaden the possibilities for international cooperation and enhance the capacity building of national protection programmes.
The course provided knowledge on how to respond to a chemical incident and included a basic introduction to the use of protective equipment, to types and characteristics of chemical warfare agents, and to detection and decontamination. Participants practised skills while wearing chemical protective clothing and gained experience with different types of detection and monitoring equipment.
*Argentina, Algeria, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Ghana, Greece, India, Lesotho, Peru, Romania, Uruguay, Yemen