UN, Republic of Korea to Host Twenty-Third Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Issues, Focusing on Strengthening Global Biosecurity
SEOUL, 1 November (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, on 4 and 5 November will co-host in Seoul the twenty-third Republic of Korea—United Nations Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Issues. This year, the conference will convene international experts and officials to discuss the imperative of enhancing global biological security under the theme of “The Biological Weapons Convention at Fifty: Strengthening Global Biological Security in a Rapidly Evolving Technological Landscape”.
Reflecting both regional and international priorities, this high-level forum gathers Government officials, experts from academia, civil society and international organizations to discuss approaches for adapting the Biological Weapons Convention to emerging technological and biological risks. This initiative responds to the decision taken at the ninth Biological Weapons Convention Review Conference in 2022 to establish a working group dedicated to strengthening the Convention. The conference in Seoul will offer a platform for constructive dialogue on fortifying the international biosecurity framework and will provide recommendations ahead of the Working Group’s December session in Geneva.
High-level representatives, including Cho Koo Rae, Vice-Minister for Strategy and Intelligence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, will offer opening remarks, with Frederico S. Duque Estrada Meyer of Brazil, Chairperson of the Biological Weapons Convention Working Group, delivering a video keynote presentation on further strengthening the Convention.
Participants will address key issues essential to global biosecurity in various thematic sessions, including on emerging biological risks, which will include a review of recent advances in science and technology, strategies to mitigate biological risks, and proposals for establishing a science and technology review mechanism within the Biological Weapons Convention. The conference will also consider how to enhance international cooperation and assistance, with representatives sharing best practices in capacity-building and strengthening of relevant mechanisms. National and regional strategies for biosafety and biosecurity will be another area of focus, as participants will examine multisectoral approaches to managing biorisks across public health, animal health and environmental sectors.
Importantly, the conference will review regional readiness for potential deliberate biological events, drawing lessons from recent global health crises to strengthen response capabilities. Participants will also look at ways to build transparency and trust among States Parties, guided by the Biological Weapons Convention’s confidence-building measures and explore ways in which compliance with the Convention could possibly be verified.
Fostering intergenerational and inclusive engagement, young leaders will share their perspectives and roles in advancing biosafety and biosecurity during a dedicated session on youth perspectives, generating recommendations to guide Biological Weapons Convention adaptation to a rapidly evolving scientific landscape.
The Conference’s closing session will identify regional priorities for strengthening the global regime against biological weapons, thereby contributing to the global discourse on enhancing global biosecurity.
For further information, please contact the Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs at email: info-unrcpd@un.org.