From August 7
th to 16
th, 2018, the 2018 Expert Meeting on the Biological Weapons Convention was held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, United Nations Headquarters. In recent years, with the development of biological sciences and biotechnology, the development of biotechnology has become more rapid and influential. The development of biotechnology and industry has become the strategic focus of all countries in the world. Biotechnology has become important content of concern to the State party of the Biological Weapons Convention. However, dual-use researches such as synthetic biology, gene editing and gene-driven, pathogen genetic modification and other new dual-use biotechnology may lead to biological laboratory safety accidents once lacking of regulation and management. Therefore, the States parties of the Biological Weapons Convention are paying increasing attention to the important role played by bioscientists in eliminating biotechnology abuse and misuse, bioterrorism and biological weapons threats, and maintaining world peace, security and stability.
This is the first expert meeting that the Biological Weapons Convention has convened since the Eighth Review Conference. The meeting will review the risks and challenges, bio-risk assessment and management of the implementation of the latest developments in global bioscience and technology. In this expert group meeting, the “Building a Code of Conduct for Bioscientists” jointly submitted by China and Pakistan delegation to the Eighth Review of the Biological Weapons Convention is also one of the important topics, which aims to formulate bioscientists and related personnel in line with national requirements.
To assist the conference in more professional discussions, Mr. Dalcero, the chairman of the expert group, specially invited two synthetic biology experts to serve as the “guest of the meeting”. As one of the two, Prof. Weiwen Zhang, director of the Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy of Tianjin University (hereafter Center) was the only expert from China who was invited to participate in the conference and made a special speech. At the same time, three people from the Center participated in the conference as a registered NGO in the field of arms control.
On the morning of the 9
th, at the 2018 Expert Meeting on Science and Technology Development Review, Prof. Weiwen Zhang introduced the importance of the Code of Conduct for Scientists and the positive efforts of the Chinese government in this field. In the speech, Prof. Zhang explained the importance of the “code of conduct for biological scientists” and emphasized the necessary content of the code of conduct. In addition, Prof. Zhang shared practices and experience China in managing dual-use biotechnology research. In response to the challenges of dual-use biotechnology development, the Chinese scientific community has conducted a series of discussions among relevant scientists, policy makers, ethics and legal experts in recent years, and has promoted and implemented many new measures including the “Scientists' Code of Conduct” published by the China Association of Science and Technology in 2006 for Chinese scientists, and the “Measures for the Safety Management of Biotechnology Research and Development” issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China in 2017.
In the expert meeting, Chair Dalcero also expressed special thanks to the “BUILDING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF SHARED FUTURE FOR BIOSECURITY: DEVELOPMENT OF A CODE OF CONDUCT FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENTISTS” workshop jointly organized by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations Disarmament Office and the Center from June 25 to 27 this year. The representative of Pakistan also emphasized that the international symposium hosted by Tianjin University provides an important platform for discussion on the prevention of dual-use biotechnology risks and the promotion of compliance work. The representative of Switzerland also endorsed the contribution of the workshop.
In addition, the Center also organized an expert meeting side event at the Palais des Nations on the 10
th, with the theme of “Developing a Model of Conduct for Biological Scientists – Tianjin Conference”. This is the first time that a Chinese think tank has systematically introduced China's ideas in the form of a side event in the BWC.
