Participants at a basic training course on assistance and protection against chemical weapons held in Algeria.
A basic training course on assistance and protection against chemical weapons for Arabic-speaking States Parties was held in Algiers, Algeria from 18 to 22 May 2015. The course was the first to be held in Arabic, and it was jointly organised by the OPCW and the government of People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria – Ministry of National Defence.
Twenty international participants from 12 State Parties* as well as 14 participants from Algeria attended the course which was held in the national Military Health School.
The course trained participants in planning and building a support team in civilian protection and rescue operations in contaminated areas, as well as in the provision of appropriate responses, including countermeasures against the use of chemical warfare agents or incidents involving toxic chemicals. The course also introduced participants to the types and characteristics of toxic chemicals, the use of individual protective equipment, the detection, sampling, monitoring and decontamination of toxic chemicals, as well as chemical emergency response and incident management techniques.
The course facilitated the exchange of information and experiences among the participants regarding implementation of Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
* Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Sudan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia