CFAs: Building Partner Capacity to Counter Chemical Weapons Threats

The recent and increasing use of Chemical Weapons (CW) agents by proliferator states continues to erode the norm against CW use and poses a direct challenge to global nonproliferation efforts. Proliferator states are engaged in research and development efforts involving non-traditional agents (NTAs), Pharmaceutical Based Agents (PBAs), and other novel agents that pose significant challenges to detection, identification, and attribution should they be used in CW attacks. The increasing pace of innovation in, and decentralization of, CW-relevant scientific fields, in combination with emerging technological tools, including generative AI and machine learning, makes the knowledge of how to produce CW more accessible to a wider range of actors. States and terrorist groups alike may recognize the increasingly lower barrier to entry for CW capabilities as an opportunity they can exploit.

Taken together, these factors suggest the potential for significant, increased CW proliferation is high, and that there is an unprecedented amount work the international community must undertake to prevent the worst outcomes. Intransigence at the United Nations Security Council coupled with active efforts to undermine implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the effectiveness of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), constrain the tools United States and their allies and partners have available to counter CW proliferation.

Goal

• In coordination with U.S. policy stakeholders, ISN/CTR’s Chemical Security Program (CSP), through its capacity building activities:
  • Supports U.S. CW counter proliferation efforts;
  • Advances U.S. objectives related to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW);
  • Reinforces global norms against CW use and promotes Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) compliance;
  • Constrains Foreign Terrorist Organizations’ (FTOs) access to weaponizable materials and expertise.

Objectives

• Identify and disrupt the transfer of chemical precursors, laboratory research and chemical production equipment, and expertise to proliferator state CW programs by:
  • Intensifying open-source research about ongoing or potential state-specific PRC, Iranian, and Syrian CW proliferation pathways including land, air, and maritime routes for CW materials and related equipment as well exploitation of unwitting research partners to support diplomatic engagement, partner government investigations, and private industry compliance efforts;
  • Disrupting procurement networks for precursors of highly potent pharmaceuticals, including but not limited to fentanyls;
  • Training producers, manufacturers, distributors, resellers, shipping agents, or others along the supply chain of CW-relevant goods, materials, and production equipment to adopt employee vetting and know-your-customer (KYC) programs to ensure chemicals and equipment are not diverted to malicious state actors or front companies operating on their behalf;
  • Training government and private industry on implementing CW-related sanctions;
• Reinforce global norms against CW research, production, stockpiling, and use and promoting CWC implementation by:
  • Building partner governments’ capacities to comply with CWC Conference on States Parties decisions, including decisions related to preventing CW use within Syria and on aerosolized use of central nervous system (CNS)-acting chemicals in conjunction with law enforcement purposes;
  • Providing tailored assistance to support more effective government and industry risk mitigation to address new chemical security threats (e.g., new or modified chemical agents not included in CWC schedules or new technologies or equipment to facilitate production or use of CW) and empower governments, NGOs, and individuals to advocate for the CWC and its decisions; and
  • Engaging partner governments, media, academic and NGO communities to better understand and amplify reputable reporting on CW use and to counter U.S. adversaries’ disinformation campaigns attacking norms against CW use, the OPCW, and the United States’ CWC compliance.
• Enhance global efforts to deter CW use through response and attribution by:
  • Improving partner states’ defensive countermeasures by training first responders (including national CBRN units, frontline medical staff, and poison control centers) to identify and characterize early indicators of CW attacks and make recommendations to decision-makers for diagnosis, decontamination, protection, and medical treatment;
  • Improving information sharing among first responders, law enforcement, and government stakeholders;
  • Build capacity to support international analysis and verification efforts by facilitating discussions on existing laboratory capabilities, identifying strengths in national laboratory networks, and building capacity to participate in the Chemical Weapons Convention Chemical Analysis Competency Test (CCACT);
• Prevent non-state actor CW attacks targeting the United States and its partners and allies by, in addition to the activities described above:
  • Engaging partner governments’ ability to identify vulnerable chemicals of concern in their jurisdictions and support relevant stakeholders in securing them in accordance with international best practices.

Funding Information

• Total Funding Ceiling: $4,000,000
• Anticipated number of awards: Seven
• Duration: 15 months

Expected Outcomes

• All proposals will measure partner capacity before and after training and engagement, with the expectation that skills, procedures, and abilities have increased due to ISN/CTR support.

Eligible Countries

• Identify and disrupt the transfer of chemical precursors, laboratory research and chemical production equipment, and expertise to proliferator state CW programs:
  • East Asia and Pacific (EAP): Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand;
  • Europe and Eurasia (EUR): Czechia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye;
  • Near East (NEA): Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates;
  • South and Central Asia (SCA): India, Kazakhstan
• Reinforce global norms against CW research, production, stockpiling, and use and promoting CWC implementation:
  • Africa (AF): Botswana, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo;
  • EAP: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam; NEA: Lebanon;
  • SCA: Pakistan;
  • Western Hemisphere (WHA): Bahamas
• Enhance global efforts to deter CW use through response and attribution:
  • EAP: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam;
  • EUR: Romania, Türkiye;
  • NEA: Lebanon;
  • SCA: India
• Prevent non-state actor CW attacks targeting the United States and its partners and allies:
  • NEA: Lebanon;
  • SCA: Pakistan

Eligibility Criteria

• U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations with or without 501(c) (3) status of the U.S. tax code; foreign-based non-profit organizations/non-government organizations (NGO); Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs); public International Organizations; Foreign Public Entities; U.S.-based private, public, or state institutions of higher education; foreign-based institutions of higher education, and U.S. for-profit organizations or businesses.

Application Requirements

• For all application documents, please ensure:
  • All documents are in English, and all costs are in U.S. dollars. If an original document within the application is in another language, an English translation must be provided. If any document is provided in both English and a foreign language, the English language version is the controlling version;
  • All pages are numbered, including budgets and attachments;
  • All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper; and,
  • All documents are single-spaced, 14-point Calibri font, with 1-inch margins. Captions and footnotes may be 10-point Calibri font. Font sizes in charts and tables, including the budget, can be reformatted to fit within 1 page width.
  • All application materials must be submitted through the online portal unless you are a U.S. Government entity applying for Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) funding.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.