Assessment of the MX 2013 S&T Review Prof. Kathryn Nixdorff Department of Microbiology and Genetics Darmstadt University of Technology Background foto by Richard Guthrie 1

Judit Körömi Special Representative of the Hungarian Foreign Minister for Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department for Security Policy and Non-proliferation 2 Fotos by Richard Guthrie

7 Items on the S&T Review Agenda: Advances in technologies for surveillance, detection, diagnosis and mitigation of infectious diseases… 1. Advances that have potential for uses contrary to the Convention 2. Advances that have potential benefits for the Convention, 3. Measures for strengthening national biological risk management 4. Voluntary codes of conduct 5. Education and awareness-raising 6. Science- and technology-related developments relevant to the activities of multilateral organizations (WHO, OIE, FAO, IPPC, OPCW) 7. Any other science and technology developments of relevance 3

7 Items on the S&T Review Agenda: Advances in technologies for surveillance, detection, diagnosis and mitigation of infectious diseases… 1. Advances that have potential for uses contrary to the Convention 2. Advances that have potential benefits for the Convention, 4

S&T Review MX 2013 „What do we have from all of this?: A more balanced view of S&T developments“ More voices brought in for the review „We are getting a lot of material on the table, but what are we going to do about it?“ Experts in many cases not focussed on implications for BWC Chair tried to bring in more experts in the hope that they would talk among themselves. 5

6 Simon Wain-Hobson: H5N1 controversy: The right kind of presentation: No consensus among scientists about usefulness of the experiments No consensus about what to do (a) Freeze (b) need a public international conference with all the stakeholders (c) need independent risk and liability analysis (d) need a considered moral opinion

7 Items on the S&T Review Agenda: Advances in technologies for surveillance, detection, diagnosis and mitigation of infectious diseases… 3. Measures for strengthening national biological risk management 7

US: Oversight of DURC should fundamentally be done at the national level. No one-size-fits-all solution is possible; SPs should work to exchange experiences and best practices and, where possible, to develop shared principles. Switzerland: Responsible conduct of research by life scientists sensitised to potential dangers and the dual-use problem will continue to constitute both an important implementation measure of the BWC and a crucial element of any way forward to the issue at hand. Education of Life Scientists about dual-use problems and BWC + Oversight Measures Risk Management 8

7 Items on the S&T Review Agenda: Advances in technologies for surveillance, detection, diagnosis and mitigation of infectious diseases… 4. Voluntary codes of conduct 5. Education and awareness-raising 9 6. Science- and technology-related developments relevant to the activities of multilateral organizations (WHO, OIE, FAO, IPPC, OPCW)

OPCW: Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) lessons learned after 15 years It helps to establish an “official OPCW view” on S&T; States Parties do not attempt to politicize the Board Ukraine: Consider the establishment of an open-ended working group to consider the implications of advances in S&T…in the preparations for and at the next Review Conference 6. Science- and technology-related developments relevant to the activities of multilateral organizations (WHO, OIE, FAO, IPPC, OPCW) Australia: A scientific advisory board is a very expensive process, in the BWC context we would benefit more from an open-ended working group. India: In run-up to 7 RC, India suggested a panel on S&T: Perhaps the idea at that time was not mature enough. The topic could be discussed further and kept in mind for the preparation of the next Review Conference. 10

„Improve the structure“ „Chair had proposals for what to do, but the NAM shot them down“ On the national level: - Education - Basic oversight What to do? 11