From 10 to 13 October 2022, sixteen nuclear security practitioners from various institutions in the Republic of Moldova have been trained on enhancing national capabilities to prevent the trafficking of radiological and nuclear material (RN).
The training was organized and held by the team of trainers from Moldova with the support of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). The organization of the event was also facilitated by the National CBRN Focal Point Ms. Irina Drucec from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova and by the host of the training, the Forensic and Judicial Expertise Centre of the General Police Inspectorate in Chisinau.
The training aimed to expand the knowledge of nuclear security practitioners in Moldova on issues related to prevention and countering of the trafficking of RN material and put into practice the skills acquired by the team of trainers within the framework of the CONTACT – Black Sea project.
The trainers shared their expertise and used their subject-matter knowledge, as well as a wide range of training delivery skills and techniques introduced during the train-the-trainers (TTT) sessions. The four-day training included frontal lectures, group discussions, exercises and hands-on demonstration of radiation detection equipment used during intelligence and law enforcement operations, personal protective equipment and a forensics mobile laboratory. The event was facilitated by experts from UNICRI who mentored the Moldovan team of trainers during the preparatory period.
“We were pleased to host this event aimed at strengthening national capacity to prevent the trafficking of RN material. I want to express special gratitude to the organizers and coordinators of the CONTACT - Black Sea project. Thanks to their support and joint efforts it was possible to organize an event that is becoming even more relevant now, when hostilities are underway in the region, affecting, among other things, Ukraine's nuclear facilities. This week participants had the opportunity to improve their knowledge and gain practical skills in certain actions to combat the nuclear threat, which will allow all of us to be ready to prevent threats and quickly respond to crimes which involve the use of RN material,” said Mr. Nicolae Bodrug, Head of the Forensic and Judicial Expertise Centre.
“The Republic of Moldova values the opportunity given by this important regional initiative aimed not only at enhancing our national capacities, but also, at facilitating regional cooperation on matters of great importance to our security and stability. The security situation in the region is only highlighting the importance of projects like this. The national team of trainers has developed valuable knowledge and expertise in RN security and has the opportunity to pass on its experience to the security practitioners during the national training this week,” said Mr. Victor Lapusneanu, Head of the Multilateral Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova.
The next steps in implementing the project will involve incorporating the CONTACT training modules into the training institutions’ continuous training programs for greater sustainability of the project’s activities.
Background information
On the 1st of June 2020, UNICRI officially launched the project “CONTACT - Black Sea: Enhancing capacities to prevent the trafficking of radiological and nuclear material in the Black Sea region”. The project aims to enhance the capacities of security and law enforcement officials in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to prevent and counter trafficking of radiological and nuclear material and foster regional cooperation and exchange of information on RN trafficking-related incidents. The project is implemented by UNICRI and is jointly funded by the United Kingdom Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (UK BEIS); the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA); and the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).
