ISTC took part in the workshop devoted to Convention on Prohibition of Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological and Toxin Weapons and Their Destruction
ISTC Executive Director David Cleave presented at a late September national workshop in Tashkent, Uzbekistan within the framework of the Convention on Prohibition of Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological and Toxin Weapons and Their Destruction. Mr. Cleave’s presentation was titled, “Assistance Opportunities Available at the Regional and International Level” and communicated how ISTC supports countries and partners in the world in addressing and combating bacteriological threats.
The workshop was organized by the Republic of Uzbekistan’s Cabinet of Ministers Committee for Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety and the United Nations and attended by international and domestic scientists, specialists and students. In addition to Mr. Cleave’s presentation, Otabek Kasymov, Chief Specialist of the Committee for Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety and National Coordinator for Implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention; James Roed-Moor, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Uzbekistan; and, United Nations Political Affairs Officer Hermann Alex Lampalzer, presented and emphasized the importance of enhancing Uzbekistan’s biological safety system, strengthening international cooperation and improving knowledge and skills of participants in Uzbekistan and Central Asia.
The workshop noted Covid-19 highlighted that biosafety has become one of Uzbekistan’s critical challenges in its population as well as for populations around the world. In his remarks, Mr. Kasymov said biological safety ensures comprehensive technical capabilities for compliance with regulatory and sanitary-epidemiological requirements to protect people, animals and plants from biological damage as well as conservation of biological diversity and environmental protection. Uzbekistan is implementing the November 25, 2020 resolution of its President titled, “On comprehensive measures for the development of biotechnology and improvement of the country’s biological safety system” as the organizing statement of Uzbekistan in administering biological safety.