Dec 02: The international conference on ‘50 Years of BWC: Strengthening Biosecurity for the Global South’, being organised by the Ministry of External Affairs on 1-2 December 2025 in New Delhi to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), has commenced today. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar addressed scientific experts, policy makers and diplomats from over 80 countries and representatives from international and regional organisations, as well as Indian academia and industry during the inaugural session.
EAM reaffirmed India’s commitment to the full and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention and India’s well-established non-proliferation record. He urged the participants to reflect on the new challenges posed by the rapid developments in science and technology in the context of the BWC. He highlighted India’s proposal for a National Implementation Framework that covers identification of high-risk agents, oversight of dual-use research, domestic reporting, incident management and continuous training. He noted that India’s annual Disarmament and International Security Affairs Fellowship and Capacity Building Programme under ITEC on UNSC Resolution 1540 and Strategic Trade Controls, further demonstrates our contribution to the global non-proliferation architecture.
In his keynote speech, Dr Samir V. Kamat, Chairman, DRDO and Secretary, DDR&D, noted that India envisions a “Bio-Secure Bharat” – a framework integrating One Health, bio-defence and bio-economy under the umbrella of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Vision 2047 as a precursor to realise a “Bio-Secure World” through partnerships with the Global South. He shared India’s will to cooperate on technologies, training and capacity building to strengthen collective resilience.
Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood drew attention to the priority India attaches to the integrated National One Health Mission, a whole of government and whole of society framework that links human, livestock, wildlife, and environmental health, while building ecosystems that integrate biosecurity, biosafety, surveillance, capacity building, and community engagement into a coherent national platform.
Ms Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, through a video message, thanked the Government of India for its long-standing support to the BWC and for organising the Conference. She spoke of the need for the BWC to be equipped to deal with future challenges over the next fifty years.
During the Conference opening today, EAM also visited an exposition showcasing India’s strengths in bio-surveillance, biotechnology, diagnostics, therapeutics and digital technology for disease surveillance and related fields. The exposition exhibits the success stories of products and solutions developed through Government Departments/organizations, including DRDE, CSIR, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Biotechnology-BIRAC, ICMR and Department of Animal Husbandry, and their private industry partners. The ICMR BSL3 Lab and the DAHD Mobile Veterinary Unit are part of the exposition representing India’s innovation in public health preparedness. The Government of India’s Vaccine Maitri initiative for pandemic assistance to countries around the world is also being presented.
Panel discussions will reflect on the challenges to biosecurity in different regional contexts and gaps in existing policy and institutional frameworks. They will discuss the importance of the “One Health” approach to tackling these complex biosecurity and biosafety issues. The focus will be on the prospects for furthering international cooperation and strengthening biosecurity partnerships globally, particularly with the Global South.
The experts will also participate in a live simulation exercise of a crisis scenario using a digital platform.
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