Life Sciences and Related Fields Trends Relevant to the Biological Weapons Convention (2011) / Chapter Skim
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The latest example is an international workshop, Trends in Science and Technology Relevant to the Biological Weapons Convention, held October 31-November 3, 2010, at the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. The workshop and the subsequent final report are intended to be independent contributions from the international scientific community to the Seventh Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC)
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. For example, a continuing question for the treaty's review conferences is whether scientific developments yield new or novel types of agents or materials that are not captured by Article I, which defines the scope of the treaty's prohibitions as "microbial or other biological agents, or toxins whatever their origin or method of production, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes." More broadly, however, developments in S&T also affect the other key articles of the convention that provide for the treaty's operation, such as the adequacy of national implementation of the convention through national policies and regulatory systems (Article IV)
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The workshop participants also discussed ways in which the BWC and its States Parties could continue to follow trends in S&T, including potential mechanisms for more systematic engagement with the scientific community. Given the immense diversity of current research and development, the report is only able to provide an overview of the areas of science and technology the committee believes are potentially relevant to the future of the BWC, although there is an effort to identify areas that seemed particularly ripe for further exploration and analysis.
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The choice of such responses rests with the 164 States Parties to the Convention, who must take into account multiple factors beyond the project's focus on the state of the science. S.2 PACE OF S&T DEVELOPMENTS Continued progress is being made in a wide variety of S&T areas, although the committee did not identify any game-changing advances since 2006 that fundamentally alter the nature of life sciences research.
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S.3 DIFFUSION OF RESEARCH AND CAPACITY The increasingly widespread access and ease of use of communications technologies, combined with growing availability of resources to support research, are helping to support the continuing expansion of global research capacity and an ever larger number of international collaborations in science and technology. The workshop highlighted that international S&T collaborations are occurring not only among research ers in scientifically developed countries and between researchers in developed and developing countries, but also among regional networks and increasingly among scientists within developing countries.
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The multidisciplinary and integrative nature of modern life sciences research and the diversity of fields relevant to the future of the BWC were reflected in the Beijing workshop. The convergence of disciplines, particularly between biology and chemistry, may pose challenges to the operation of regimes like the BWC and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)
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In addition to tracking advances across diverse fields, the scientific community can contribute to a better appreciation of both the drivers and the roadblocks that broadly affect how S&T actually develops. Examples include the differential distribution of commercial markets for research products and the current challenge of developing mathematical models able to successfully capture the complexity of biological systems.
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8 TRENDS RELEVANT TO THE BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION BOX S.3 Findings I. The committee did not identify any discoveries that fundamentally altered the nature of life sciences research since 2006. However, advances in S&T on many fronts have increased our overall understanding and exploitation of biological systems, despite their daunting complexity.
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The language of the treaty, as reinforced by the common understandings reached in prior review conferences, provides a degree of flexibility that has so far allowed it to adapt to progress in the life sciences and related scientific fields. The committee recognizes, however, that as new developments arise, including in fields of research that this report did not assess in depth, there may be surprise discoveries; hence, continued monitoring of advances in the life sciences and evaluation of their relevance for the BWC will be important.
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Conclusion 4: There are potential roles for the scientific community in helping to monitor trends in S&T and to assess their implications for the BWC, and there are a number of mechanisms by which input and advice could be provided. The most effective starting point for the Seventh Review Conference, therefore, would be to address the func tions that such advice and analysis will serve for the future operation of the convention, including increasing the capacity of States Parties to participate fully in its implementation.
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