NTI | bio brought together 100 biosecurity experts and professionals from governments, civil society, and international and regional organizations from around the world on September 13, 14, and 16 for virtual discussions about actions taken since the 2021 Virtual Global Biosecurity Dialogue, the future of biosafety and biosecurity, and lessons learned from COVID-19.
The Global Biosecurity Dialogue (GBD), a project of NTI | bio, is an annual series of multi-stakeholder discussions for sustaining attention and accelerating action to advance international biosecurity. Considerable progress was made on the GBD agenda since the last meeting, even amid the continuous demands of the COVID-19 pandemic response. This underscores the dedication of GBD participants to prevent future intentional or accidental releases of dangerous biological agents. During the recent discussions, participants learned about large scale regional initiatives to advance biosafety and biosecurity, such as those championed by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Caribbean Public Health Agency. Participants also discussed new tools and frameworks for reducing risks associated with biotechnology advances across the research and technology development spectrum and heard about progress being made to engage global leaders and parliamentarians to secure the needed funding and political will to effect long-lasting change in the global biosecurity system.
NTI | bio will continue to work with partners to establish a strong, unified approach to global biosecurity, taking into account vulnerabilities and insufficiencies of the current systems exposed by COVID-19. NTI | bio will convene a full GBD meeting in December to assess progress, develop future actions, and consider emerging risks that could result in an even more devasting biological event in the future.
The Global Biosecurity Dialogue project is complementary to efforts such as the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction and the Global Health Security Agenda. This meeting series was made possible by generous support from the Open Philanthropy Project.
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NTI | bio hosted more than 50 high-level biosecurity experts and professionals from governments, civil society, and regional and international organizations for the 2023 Global Biosecurity Dialogue Workstream meetings.
NTI | bio convened experts from around the world from governments, industry, and civil society in Cape Town, South Africa to discuss emerging biological risks and offer actions to address them.
