A new international organization launched during the Munich Security Conference aims to prevent the potential harms arising from accidental or deliberate misuse of technologies used in the research and development of medicines and vaccines.
The Geneva-based International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science, or IBBIS, claims to be the first-of-its-kind international organization dedicated to strengthening biosecurity governance globally.
IBBIS will identify potential harms linked to the use of biotechnologies, and work with organizations working in the space to develop practical tools and solutions to prevent those harms. They plan to work with governments, intergovernmental entities, and private sector companies, many of whom are involved in developing and using new and emerging technologies, the initiative’s executive director, Piers Millett, told Devex.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
