To facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement around biological risks, biological security and biological disarmament, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) co-organized a stakeholder conference designed to bring together actors from civil society, academia and industry, as well as diplomats, to stimulate the exchange of ideas and thinking around how to build biosecurity and bolster biological disarmament.
The Biorisks, Biosecurity and Biological Disarmament Conference took place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 4–5 July 2023. The event provided an opportunity to discuss ongoing diplomatic processes and current and upcoming issues in the areas of biorisk, biosecurity and biological disarmament.
More than 80 individuals from 30 countries, representing 60 institutions, participated in the discussion in person, and a further 334 individuals joined the discussion virtually from around the world. The participants included diplomats, public health professionals, security experts and scientists from a wide range of organizations.
The Conference consisted of seven substantive panels, which explored a range of topics, centred on advances in science and technology and their related risks and benefits, biosecurity implementation, dual-use governance, disease response, international cooperation, and verification technologies. The discussions that took place during all seven panels are summarized in this conference report.
Citation: Daniel Feakes, Maria Garzon Maceda, Alex Lampalzer, Jade Mason, Soatiana Rajatonirina, James Revill, Anna Laura Ross, Veronica Rovegno, Emmanuelle Tuerlings, Taylor Winkleman (eds), "2023 Biorisks, Biosecurity and Biological Disarmament Conference Report", UNIDIR, UNODA, WHO, Geneva, 2024. https://doi.org/10.37559/WMD/24/CBW/01