The International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA) is not-for-profit non-governmental organization of regional and national Biosafety Associations from all areas of the world. They are a global community of scientists, biosafety professionals, laboratory personnel, architects, engineers, academics and policy makers who have common interest in advancing biosafety and biosecurity. The IFBA (originally called the International Biosafety Working Group) was founded in 2001, a time of unparalleled change and challenge for the biosafety profession. The recent bioterrorism anthrax letter incidents had dramatically altered the public health security environment and needs of the laboratory community. Few national and regional biosafety associations existed at that time and the IFBA was seen as a unique opportunity to establish professional biosafety acquaintances from around the world to share biosafety knowledge, ideas and innovations.
Laboratory diagnostic and surveillance capacity are central to the fight against infectious diseases, however many laboratories around the world lack capacity to safely and securely handle dangerous biological pathogens. Addressing this issue requires a global commitment and the leveraging of multiple stakeholders at the international, regional and local levels. The key to progress also includes the integration of biosafety programs within the greater framework of strengthening laboratory capacity and health systems. To this end, the IFBA collaborates with national animal and health authorities, with international agencies (e.g. WHO, OIE, BWC, UN1540, Interpol, Stop TB Partnership) and with like-minded professional associations (e.g. International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science, African Society for Laboratory Medicine). They promote sustainable cost-effective biosafety & biocontainment solutions for laboratories in resource limited areas and assist our Members with strategic planning and resource mobilization strategies to strengthen sustainable biosafety capacity at the local level.
