In close cooperation with the Spanish authorities and the 1267 Committee, the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch (UNODC/TPB) organized a specialized workshop for Iraq on preventing the dual use of chemical materials for terrorist purposes, in Madrid from 19-21 October 2015. Twelve Iraqi officers were in attendance, representing the National Security Advisory, the National Security Department, the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health and Environment, and the Ministry of Sciences and Technology.
The workshop was one of the activities organized under Phase II of the UNODC/TPB Project "Strengthening the Legal Regime against Terrorism in Iraq", generously funded by the Government of Japan.
During the workshop, the Iraqi delegation was divided into two groups of six participants. The first group joined the Spanish Guardia Civil at its premises, while the second group joined the National Police of Spain. In addition, a representative of the 1267 Committee gave a presentation on the countries' commitments and obligations regarding improvised explosive devices. The daily discussions between the two groups, and a UNODC/TPB Programme Officer, concluded with the development of a set of recommendations.
A special emphasis was placed on improvised explosive devices, as part of the international sanctions regime against Al-Qaeda and other associated groups. In addition, in-depth discussions took place on the use of chemical weapons by terrorists, control of technologies required to develop chemical weapons, surveillance of storage for materials that could be used as detonators for bombing, implementing the recommendations of the World Customs Organization (WCO) concerning the tracking of the 14 precursor chemicals monitored in the WCO Programme Global Shield, and investigation techniques of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Finally, he obligations imposed by relevant Security Council resolutions were highlighted, particularly those relating to proliferation networks and the governmental oversight of technologies used in developing chemical weapons.