The Sahel is experiencing increased terrorist activity, with the threat spreading towards coastal countries. Consequently, terrorism is increasingly becoming a significant concern for many West African countries.
Terrorism and organized crime benefit from different forms of trafficking, in a complex nexus that is constantly evolving and takes on different forms in various parts of the world.
What is SIRIO?
In 2016, UNICRI developed the Knowledge Center “Security Improvements through Research, Technology and Innovation" (SIRIO) in Geneva. The Center collaborates with a diverse range of partners, including industry and research institutions (from both the public and private sectors) as well as governmental and intergovernmental entities.
The primary purpose of SIRIO is to analyse and promote knowledge and technology-based solutions aimed at addressing emerging security risks.
On 25-29 September the Train-the-Trainers (TTT) course on countering trafficking of radiological and nuclear (RN) materials was held at the Customs Training Center of Moldova.
In a proactive effort to combat the spread of disinformation pertaining to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear issues, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) conducted a comprehensive two-day in-person training session in Astana, Kazakhstan, on September 26-27, 2023, within the framework of EU’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence (CoE) Initiative.
In a significant step forward for the ATLAS project, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) has successfully concluded the first train-the-trainers event held in Tunis, Tunisia, from 11 to 15 September 2023. The event, which was a key milestone of the ATLAS project, aimed to strengthen Tunisia's capacity to prevent chemical weapons attacks by non-state actors through enhanced intelligence-sharing and inter-agency cooperation mechanisms.
UNICRI successfully conducted the second round of train-the-trainer (TTT) sessions on trafficking of radiological and nuclear (RN) materials. These sessions were designed for selected trainees (ten per country) from the Philippines and Lao PDR. The first TTT session took place in Manila from July 24 to 27, 2023, followed by the second session in Vang Vieng from July 31 to August 3. These sessions marked the culmination of an extensive process that began last year and was further nurtured through dedicated online coaching.
