The Robert Koch Institute (RKI): main building in Berlin. more
Germany’s Public Health institute RKI monitors the population’s health and wellbeing. more
The Robert Koch Institute is the German government's central institution for the identification, surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases in the Portfolio of the German Ministry of Health. more
Contribution to Strengthening the United Nations Secretary-General's Mechanism to Investigate Suspected Use of Biological Weapons.
The aim of the UNSGM project "Strengthening the UNSGM" is to strengthen the United Nations Secretary-General's Mechanism (UNSGM) to investigate the suspected use of chemical, biological and toxicological weapons. This is the only mechanism that can legitimise and conduct an internationally independent investigation into suspected biological weapons use. The UNSGM project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and supports the network and exchange for the UNSGM as well as the operational readiness of UNSGM nominated experts by offering training modules and simulation exercises.
The United Nations Secretary-General's Mechanism is used to investigate cases of suspected use of chemical, biological and toxicological weapons and provides the framework for objective international investigations into alleged violations of the Geneva Protocol, the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) or other relevant international laws. At the request of a Member State of the United Nations, the Secretary-General (SG) is authorised to initiate investigations into alleged use of the above weapons. He may send a fact finding mission and issue a report to all Member States. As a key element of this mechanism, the Secretary-General maintains a roster of qualified experts, expert consultants and laboratories provided by Member States, as well as guidelines and procedures for conducting investigations.
Illustration of the United Nations Secretary-General's Mechanism (UNSGM) for Investigating Suspected Use of Biological, Chemical or Toxicological Weapons.
Source: RKI
The concept is to assign individual experts from various professional backgrounds and roster laboratories to investigate the facts of the matter. They are expected to cooperate as part of a multinational team with specific subtasks. In doing so, the team may be confronted with a differing level of knowledge and training or the qualified experts may work on the basis of different national procedures and guidelines, among other things.
In order to prepare the qualified experts and laboratories for a possible investigation, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) continuously updates required training topics and adapts it to the needs of the UNSGM. UNODA coordinates the measures that are organized by Member States so that a broad range of topics can be covered and workshops and trainings can be conducted that build on each other.
The world's first expert training of this kind was held in Sweden in 2009; a second such course was offered by France in 2012. In addition to Germany, a large number of Member States, including Canada, United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa and the USA, are now contributing to strengthening UNSGM.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is the central institution of the Federal Government in the field of disease surveillance and prevention and thus also in the field of application and action-oriented biomedical research. One of the institute's tasks is to identify biological hazard situations caused by accidents or deliberate releases as well as natural outbreaks of highly pathogenic and bioterrorism-relevant agents.
At the global level, the Robert Koch Institute is involved in the UNSGM with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office. This is done in close cooperation with UNODA, on the one hand at the level of organising and conducting various trainings for the qualified experts on the UNSGM roster and on the other hand at the level of strengthening the laboratory network and the correspondingly required laboratory capacities in the field of virology, bacteriology and toxicology: RefBio - German Contribution to Strengthening the Reference Laboratories Bio in the UNSGM.
As part of the UNSGM project to train qualified experts the RKI supports the network and the exchange for the UNSGM as well as offers various training modules and simulation exercises according to the current needs in order to best prepare qualified experts for future investigations.
As part of the 2021 project, an e-learning module on the topic of personal protective equipment (PPE) was developed. The module "Staying safe on missions with infectious threats - Introduction to and components of Personal Protective Equipment" provides an introduction to the topic of PPE with a focus on possible use for biological threats. In addition to providing basic knowledge, it aims to raise awareness of the subject. It does not replace practical training or exercises, but should be seen as the first element of a multi-level learning approach for qualified experts. The digital form allows unrestricted access for qualified experts.
Source: RKI
Not only since the last UNSGM mission in Syria in 2013 it has been clear that a fact-finding mission can be physically and psychologically very challenging for the nominated experts due to various possible security risks. In order to best prepare the qualified experts for such situations and to show them options for action, they should undergo a so-called HEAT course (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) or similar. The modules of this training are geared to the requirements and specifications of the UN for emergency forces abroad. A first HEAT course took place from 15 to 20 September 2019 in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler/ Baumholder, Germany and was attended by 17 international experts from various disciplines as well as representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Hosted by the Academy for Crisis Management, Emergency Planning and Civil Defence, now the Federal Academy for Civil Protection and Civil Defence (BABZ), the training used theoretical and practical elements to sensitise participants for potential hazards in the field and familiarise them with appropriate measures and techniques for dealing with them. The confrontation with different scenarios required the application of what had been learned, in which teamwork played a central role.
Another safety training course was held from 15-19 November 2021 as a HEAT refresher course in close cooperation with the BABZ for UNSGM qualified experts in Berlin.
Source: RKI
An essential part of a mission is the collection of solid evidence. This includes, among other things, the collection of biomedical and environmental samples, which would be intensively studied in designated laboratories for the suspected pathogen/agent and its origin.
A training on sample collection and transport of infectious substances was organized in the Berlin area from 19-23 September 2023 as part of the project. It was attended by 17 international experts. The "Sampling" training on obtaining various environmental samples took place under the auspices of our partners from the Public Health Agency of Canada. A trainer from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) provided information on rules and regulations on how to safely pack and transport potentially infectious material.
Source: RKI
At the end of various training sessions, the qualified experts ideally complete a simulation exercise to apply their knowledge and identify any further training needs.
The first UNSGM simulation exercise was organised by the RKI on behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office in Berlin in November 2014. It was a 10-day field exercise to investigate a fictitious suspected use of biological weapons. The main purpose of the exercise was to gain practical experience with the so-called "Functional Subunit " approach proposed by Denmark and to train the cooperation between the individual units of an investigation team. Functional subunits are small teams, ideally consisting of two to five people, who contribute selected functions and skills in the conduct of an UNSGM investigation.
Source: RKI
The following UNSGM simulation exercise, known as the Capstone Exercise, was also conducted by the RKI on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office. The focus was on cooperation between the nominated experts of the mission team as well as cooperation with relevant actors. Skills learned by the bioweapons experts were to be applied as practically as possible. For this purpose, the mission was simulated in the form of a two-part exercise: the table top exercise conducted in November 2020 represented the planning phase of the subsequent field exercise in September 2022. A scenario was developed for the project, set in a fictitious UN Member State where an infectious disease with severe symptoms had broken out. The mandate of the mission team was to investigate the possible bioweapons attack. Both exercise phases were professionally accompanied by a Swedish evaluation team and an international team of observers. Find the short version of the report here.
The planning phase of the mission took place from 9 to 13 November 2020 as a so-called 'Table Top Exercise (TTX)'. This format generally serves as a discussion forum for defining responsibilities and tasks in the field of emergency management. Due to pandemic constraints, the TTX was conducted in a virtual format, which allowed for a broad participation of experts from different countries. During the TTX, a detailed mission plan was prepared by a team of four qualified experts, including team composition planning, equipment, interviews and sampling. Together with UNSGM stakeholders from the United Nations and reference laboratories, the results were discussed in the expert group.
The operational plan developed in the TTX served as the basis for the practical investigations in the field. After a delay due to the pandemic, this part of the Capstone Exercise could take place in Berlin from 19 to 28 September 2022. A 19-member team of experts was sent to the fictitious affected country to investigate the alleged use of biological weapons. The core elements of such a mission include first of all negotiations on the activities and modalities on site, the collection and securing of environmental as well as biomedical samples and the conduct of interviews with relevant actors (witnesses, victims, representatives of international organisations on site, etc.). A virtual platform was used for interactive exchange with UN partners, the laboratories involved or representatives of the affected country. Based on the collected facts, a report was written by the mission team on behalf of the United Nations. The ten-day field exercise was very complex in its requirements and confronted the team with increasingly difficult framework conditions. Therefore, compared to trainings or workshops, the exercise was to be understood as a climax or stress test and was mentally as well as physically very challenging.
In total, up to 70 people were involved in the Capstone Exercise, including the nominated experts, UNODA and WHO, international observers, role players and the RKI organisational team. A final evaluation report, prepared by international observers and the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), identified valuable lessons learned, needs and recommendations for action for the UNSGM.
Source: RKI
As part of various networking activities, the UNSGM project team has supported with exercise scenarios such as:
Date: 02.11.2023
UNSGM-Training
