From 12-18 October 2025, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) organized the fifth training course on ‘Safe and Secure Approaches in Field Environments’ (SSAFE) for experts on the roster for the United Nations Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigations of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons (UNSGM).
A group of 12 experts from 12 countries joined the course in Cha Am, Thailand. UNODA opened the course with a refresher on the context and potential field activities during a UNSGM investigation. The participating experts then received lessons from UNDSS on the UN Security Management System (UNSMS), guidelines for working in field environments, communication and technology, vehicles and movement, and captivity and detention. Participants also received training on medical elements of working in the field, with theoretical lessons, demonstrations, and practical exercises on individual first aid and managing injuries in field environments. After completing the SSAFE modules, the experts took part in a half-day field exercise that simulated various situations covered during the course that may be encountered in the field. To conclude the course, UNODA led participants in an interactive discussion on how the skills covered in the course could be applied in a potential UNSGM investigation.
SSAFE courses are designed to strengthen participants’ understanding of the UNSMS and to build their practical capacity to anticipate, mitigate, and respond to safety and security risks in complex operational environments. The curriculum, based on UNDSS and UN System Staff College (UNSSC) standard modules, is delivered by certified SSAFE instructors. By the end of the course, participants received certifications in both SSAFE and Individual First Aid (IFAK), following relevant assessments.
In addition, the course enhanced participants’ personal security awareness, cultural sensitivity, and operational preparedness, providing them with a common framework of UN security principles, policies, and procedures – essential for experts who may be deployed as part of a UNSGM investigation.
In addition to the support provided by UNDSS, financial support for the workshop was generously provided by the Governments of Canada and the United Kingdom.
For more information, please contact the UNODA team in support of the UNSGM at UNSGM@un.org.
