NTI Convenes Global Biosecurity Dialogue in Addis Ababa, Partners with African Union to Launch Africa CDC Initiative to Strengthen Biosecurity and Biosafety

NTI’s biosecurity program (NTI | bio) convened more than 80 senior officials from 43 countries, international organizations, and non-governmental sectors from May 7-9 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the second Global Biosecurity Dialogue.  Hosted by the African Union and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the event sought to accelerate concrete actions countries and organizations can take to improve global biosecurity capabilities.  Building on last year’s Global Biosecurity Dialogue in London, participants also developed four new proposals to advance biosecurity policies, develop country capability, and create capacity to identify and reduce emerging biological risks, including those associated with advances in technology.

According to published World Health Organization (WHO) Joint External Evaluation reports, less than 11% of 77 assessed countries have demonstrated the biosecurity and biosafety capabilities required by the WHO to prevent deliberate and accidental high consequence biological events. The Global Biosecurity Dialogue gives countries an opportunity to brief others on their progress toward these goals and to identify national and regional barriers that hinder progress.

On May 10, following the conclusion of the Global Biosecurity Dialogue, Africa CDC held a stakeholders meeting to advance its continent-wide commitment to advance biosecurity and biosafety through Regional Collaborating Centers (RCCs).  This commitment was launched by African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs Her Excellency Amira Elfadil Mohammed Elfadil at last year’s Global Biosecurity Dialogue in London. In June 2019 in Johannesburg, NTI will partner with the Southern Africa RCC , the Africa CDC, Global Affairs Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program, the Open Philanthropy Project, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and others to convene this initiative’s first workshop.