Shang, Lijun, Whitby, Simon and Dando, Malcolm (2021) Strengthening the biological and toxin weapons convention after COVID-19: reaching agreement on a code of conduct and biological security education at the 2021 9th review conference. In: The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Future: Virology, Epidemiology, Translational Toxicology and Therapeutics. Royal Society of Chemistry, London. ISBN 9781839163067
The COVID-19 virus pandemic has again demonstrated the devastating impact that a microbial pathogen can have on our health, society and economic systems. It necessitates a fundamental rethink of how the security of our societies can be better sustained. This rethinking will require many aspects of our security systems to be re-examined, but we concentrate here on the consequences of the rapid advances being made in the life and associated sciences. In this chapter, we will describe and analyse one of the most likely means by which the BTWC could be strengthened at the 9th Review Conference, namely: agreement of an International Aspirational Code of Conduct supported by mandatory biological security education for life and associated scientists. We conclude that a vigorous effort by civil society will be needed to assist the achievement of an agreement on this issue at the 9th Review Conference.
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