ISTC attends a Conference on Biosecurity Challenges convened by the German Presidency of the Global Partnership

ISTC is a partner to the Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, the G7-led international initiative aimed at preventing the proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons and related materials. In this capacity ISTC followed the deliberations during the Conference on Current Biosecurity Challenges on 7 October 2022, at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. The conference brought together stakeholders from governments, international organizations, think tanks, universities and research institutes, the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, NGOs and the media. The participants and presenters came from the Robert Koch Institute Centre for International Health Protection, the German Association of Biotechnology Industries, the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, SIPRI, UN ODA, WHO, Columbia University, King's College London, University of Birmingham, etc.

The forum took place on the eve of the Ninth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention, the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.  Ever since it entered into force in 1975 the Convention played an important role in disarmament and reached almost universal membership. However, the upcoming review conference provides and opportunity to further strengthen it, and improve its implementation. For such purposes the participants in the conference in Berlin discussed the most pressing biological threats of today and explored suitable threat reduction measures. The title of the conference was Pursuing our Joint Action against Bioweapons Proliferation and the outcome of the conference corresponded perfectly with it.

Both ISTC & STCU Science Centers attended the conference and were represented by their respective Executive Directors and several bilateral meetings were with representatives of UK MoD, DSTL, Norway, Global Affairs Canada, and US Department of State. 

The ISTC/STCU also participated in a joint Poster Competition promoting the Science Centers as CBRN Non-Proliferation project implementers.