Reducing Biological Risk by Building Capacity in Health Security

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) is a cornerstone of international security, prohibiting the development, acquisition or use of biological weapons, and obliging its 163 States Parties to take steps to prevent the use of biology for malign purposes. At the same time, Article X of the BWC protects and encourages the development of the peaceful applications of biological science and technology, many of which are crucial to public health.

Advances in biological science and technology present new challenges and opportunities, while the threats posed by naturally-occurring disease, unintended consequences, laboratory accidents, sabotage and terrorism form a continuous spectrum of biological risk that requires an integrated response. Effectively implementing the BWC therefore involves a range of actors in many fields: arms control, security, law enforcement, customs, science and technology, education and training, public health, agriculture, and others.  The BWC intersessional work program of annual expert meetings brings together relevant actors to consider specific topics related to better implementation of the Convention.

In 2008, the BWC work program dealt with the topic of biosafety and biosecurity.  In support of this work, the governments of Norway and Indonesia and the BWC Implementation Support Unit organised the Regional Seminar on Promoting and Implementing Biosafety and Biosecurity Management in Jakarta on 4-5 June 2008. In 2009, the topic for the BWC work program is building capacity in disease surveillance, detection, diagnosis and containment.  The governments of Norway and Indonesia and the BWC Implementation Support Unit will again organise a workshop, focusing on the role the BWC can play to support global public health efforts.  The International Workshop on the Biological Weapons Convention Supporting Global Health: Reducing Biological Risk by Building Capacity in Health Security will be held in Oslo on 18-19 June 2009.

The theme of the workshop is very much in line with the thinking of the Foreign Policy and Global Health Initiative launched by Brazil, France, Indonesia, Norway, Thailand, Senegal and South Africa in 2006, calling for greater awareness to the many links between foreign policy and global health issues. Among the focus areas of the initiative are disaster preparedness and prevention; control of infectious diseases; as well as the issues of conflict and health, all themes that relate to the subject matter of the BWC. In the expert group of the initiative, both health and foreign policy experts are represented.

The workshop will include participants from all regions, as well as relevant international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).  The workshop will examine what is already being done in the area of disease surveillance, detection, diagnosis and containment; explore possible gaps; examine the possibility of forging new partnerships; and consider the prospects for further capacity-building activities that support both public health and security goals.  In particular, the workshop will aim to stimulate a comprehensive discussion on realising the full potential of Article X of the BWC through practical steps towards clearly-defined objectives.

The workshop will not make specific recommendations, but will report key themes to emerge from the discussion to the BWC Expert Meeting to be held in Geneva 24-28 August 2009.