Wednesday, May 22nd 10:13 AM IST

UN, EU team up to prevent nuclear disasters

Jun 23, 2012

United Nations: The UN and the European Union have launched a programme in a bid to prevent future biological and nuclear disasters around the world.

The Centres for Excellence (CoE) Initiative is designed to alleviate the risks of crimes related to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear disasters (CBRN) by promoting coherent CBRN policies, according to a press statement issued here Friday.

The UN and EU will cooperate with each other to prevent nuclear disasters.

“The initiative maximizes existing capacities and supports countries to better address the risks posed by CBRN,” Jonathan Lucas, director of the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) said in the statement.

At a press conference here, Bruno Dupre, policy coordinator for CBRN issues for the EU Diplomatic Service, said the agency aims to increase cooperation, vigilance and dialogue in those regions that are at higher risk of nuclear disaster.

Dupre also noted that the CoE Initiative is not a programme to respond to crisis, but to avoid any future crises, Xinhua reported.

Currently, the initiative involves more than 60 countries and has been launched in eight regions, including Ukraine and Moldova, Central Asia, South East Europe, as well as several regions in Africa, he added.

IANS

Firstpost encourages open discussion and debate, but please adhere to the rules below, before posting. Comments that are found to be in violation of any one or more of the guidelines will be automatically deleted:

Personal attacks/name calling will not be tolerated. This applies to comments directed at the author, other commenters and other politicians/public figures

Please do not post comments that target a specific community, caste, nationality or religion.

While you do not have to use your real name, any commenters using any Firstpost writer's name will be deleted, and the commenter banned from participating in any future discussions.

Comments will be moderated for abusive and offensive language.

Please read our comments and moderation policy before posting