Overview
The 2015 Meeting of Experts was held in the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 10 to 14 August 2015. The meeting opened at 10:00 on Monday 10 August in Room XVIII and closed on Friday 14 August.
The Meeting of Experts was chaired by Ambassador Mazlan Muhammad of Malaysia. In accordance with the decision of the Seventh Review Conference, the meeting considered three standing agenda items (cooperation and assistance, with a particular focus on strengthening cooperation and assistance under Article X; review of developments in the field of science and technology related to the Convention; and strengthening national implementation), as well as the biennial item of How to strengthen implementation of Article VII, including consideration of detailed procedures and mechanisms for the provision of assistance and cooperation by States Parties.
More information is provided below.
Rules of Procedure
Annex III of the Final Document of the Seventh Review Conference, 'Rules of Procedure'
Side Events
Monday 10 August 2015
13.00- 15.00
Organised by: Switzerland with contributions from the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, BioSecure and the Research Group for Biological Arms Control
Tuesday 11 August 2015
09.00-10.00:
- Platform Technologies and Opportunities for Combatting Infectious Disease: A Discussion With Companies (Room No XXII)
Organised by: Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
13.00- 15.00:
- Global Health Security Agenda (Room No XXII)
Organised by: Finland
Presentation onGlobal Health Security Agenda (GHSA)by Simo Nikkari
Presentation on GHSA Action Packages and Pilot Country Assessments by Simo Nikkari
Presentation on Experience with GHSA Self and External Assessments by Melissa Dahlke
Presentation on Kenya Denmark Biosecurity Partnership by Hellen Kabiru and Mia Kjems Drægert
Presentation onStrengthening Health and Biosecurity in Tanzania by Biodetection Capacity Buildingby Furaha Mramba and Anna Katz
- Safeguarding Science in the 21st Century: Biosecurity Textbook (Room no XXIII)
Organised by: The Netherlands and the UK
Presentation on Enhancing Biosecurity Education: BioSecurity Textbookby Tatyana Novossiolova
Presentation on Gain-of-Function Debate A disputed Testcase for Biosecurity policy by Koos van der Bruggen
Presentation on Biosecurity in Denmark by Morten Madsen
Presentation on Biosecurity Policy and Practice: Contributions from Scientific Organizations by Jo L. Husbands
18.00-19.00:
- Strengthening the BWC and improving its implementation: resuming negotiations in that regard in 2017 (Room No XXIII)
Organised by: Russian Federation
Wednesday 12 August 2015
09.00- 10.00:
- Use of Microbial Forensics in Attribution Decision Making (The Science-Policy Interface)
(Room XXII)
Organised by: Federation of American Scientists (FAS)
Presentation on Science Supporting Attribution in the BWC Context by Dr. Randall S. Murch
Presentation on Attribution Use of Microbial Forensics in Cases Involving Illicit Programs an/ or Use by Christopher A Bidwell and Dr Randall S. Murch
13.00- 15.00:
- National Measures to Address Dual Use Research (Room XXIII)
Organised by: The USA and the Netherlands
Presentation on National Measures to Address Dual Use Research in the United States by Susan Coller Monarez
Organised by: UNIDIR and France
Presentation on The Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical, Biological or Toxin Weapons by Nikita Smidovich
Presentation on UNSGM Training Course in France 7-19 June 2015by Col Nicholas Coussière
Presentation on Towards a UNSGM Biological Analysis Network by Anna- Lena Johansson
Presentation on UNSGMN Designated Laboratories by Dr Cédric Invernizzi
Thursday 13 August 2015
13.00-15.00:
Organised by: The Netherlands
The movie on Biosecurity shown during the side event is available here
Presentation on The Dutch bottom-up approach in raising biosecurity awareness: how to reach professionals, students and amateurs? by Rik Bleijs
Presentation on Raising biosecurity awareness among professionals by SaskiaRutjes
Presentation on Synthetic biology and biosecurity awareness by Cecile van der Vlugt
Presentation on Biosecurity self-assessment toolkit and vulnerability assay by Harold van der Berg
- Global Health Security Agenda- Action Package Meeting: Multisectoral Rapid Response on MERS Outbreak in Korea. (Room - XXIII)
Organised by : Republic of Korea
Presentation on Multisectoral Rapid Response Action Packageby Dr. Chaeshin Chu
Presentation on Epidemiological characteristics and multi-sectoral countermeasures of MERS-CoV Outbreak in Korea by Dr. Chaeshin Chu
