Held on the margins of the ninth session of the Working Group for Strengthening the Convention, this event will bring together perspectives from biotech industry actors on how current developments in biopharmaceutical operations intersect with the obligations and implementation mechanisms established under the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).
Over the past six years, the biopharmaceutical sector has evolved significantly in response to growing global demand for biological therapeutic research, development and manufacturing capabilities. This transformation has increased the importance of not only tangible assets and biological materials, but also process innovation, technical expertise, specialized knowledge services and data handling. While these advances have accelerated innovation and strengthened the sector’s responsiveness, they have also introduced new challenges in aligning industry operations with international non-proliferation frameworks.
In this context, the event will provide a platform for dialogue between governments and biotechnology industry stakeholders. It will examine how current developments in biopharmaceutical operations intersect with the obligations and implementation mechanisms established under the BWC.
The overarching objective is to demonstrate how collaborative engagement can ensure that non-proliferation safeguards remain both technically feasible and proportionate to genuine security concerns, while remaining responsive to the evolving needs of a dynamic, pandemic-prepared biopharmaceutical sector. Through this partnership, international norms can be strengthened while continuing to support innovation and sustainable sectoral growth.
Agenda
Further details will be added in due course.
When and where
Wednesday, 19 August 2026 | 13:15 – 14:45 CEST | Building A, Room IX, Palais des Nations, Geneva.
Participants
The event is open to State representatives, civil society and experts.