November 05, 2024

Meeting of the S.E. Asia Biosecurity Experts Group

HSP, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State – Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP) hosted a meeting of the S.E. Asia Biosecurity Experts Group in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 17-18 October 2024. The meeting brought together multi-sector biosecurity experts from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines for two days of intensive deliberations on biosecurity topics of mutual interest. It also brought together the national biorisk associations and associated professional organizations. The central theme of this meeting was enhancing biosecurity for research institutions working with high consequence pathogens and dual-use technologies. These discussions were shaped in part by the new World Health Organization Laboratory Biosecurity Guidance 2024 and other policy guidelines that have become available over the past year. The meeting covered multiple biosecurity topics of mutual interest, from dual-use research of concern (DURC) and synthetic biology to cyberbiosecurity, personnel security, and due diligence best practices.