Global guidance framework for the responsible use of the life sciences

Global guidance framework for the responsible use of the life sciences PDF

Author:

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2022-09-13

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 9240056106

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The framework aims to provide global perspectives on principles, tools and mechanisms to support Member States and relevant stakeholders to mitigate and prevent biorisks and govern dual-use research. The framework adopts the One health approach and focuses on the role that responsible life sciences research can play in preventing and mitigating risks caused by accidents, inadvertent or deliberate misuse with the intention to cause harm to humans, nonhuman animals, plants and agriculture, and the environment. The framework is primarily intended for those who have responsibilities in the governance of biorisks, such as policy makers and regulators in charge of developing national policies to harness the potential benefits of the life sciences while constraining their risks. The framework is also directed towards scientists and research institutions, educators, trainers, project management staff, funding bodies, publishers, editors, the private sector and all relevant stakeholders that are part of the research life cycle. The governance of biorisks is an issue that should engage all countries, although countries will have different contexts, needs and starting points. Mitigating these risks will require individual and collective actions among different stakeholders and disciplines. Mitigating biorisks and governing dual-use research is a shared responsibility.

Technical Advisory Group on the Responsible Use of the Life Sciences and Dual-Use Research (TAG-RULS DUR)

Technical Advisory Group on the Responsible Use of the Life Sciences and Dual-Use Research (TAG-RULS DUR) PDF

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2024-04-03

Total Pages: 15

ISBN-13: 9240089705

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The Technical Advisory Group on the Responsible Use of the Life Sciences and Dual-Use Research (TAG-RULS DUR) was established in November 2023 to provide independent advice to WHO including on technical and strategic advice relevant to the monitoring and mitigation of biorisks, advances in the life sciences and related technologies, the governance of dual-use research and the responsible use of the life sciences. On 24 January 2024, eighteen members of the TAG-RULS DUR virtually met to introduce TAG-RULS DUR members; to discuss current and future activities related to the responsible use of the life sciences and dual-use research; and to share the members’ perspectives and visions on the work ahead.

WHO consultative meeting on a global guidance framework to harness the responsible use of life sciences

WHO consultative meeting on a global guidance framework to harness the responsible use of life sciences PDF

Author:

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2021-06-25

Total Pages: 16

ISBN-13: 9240027874

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The WHO Science Division organized a Consultative Meeting on a Global Guidance Framework to Harness the Responsible Use of the Life Sciences, on 11 March 2021, bringing a broad range of stakeholders that included academia, scientists and researchers, publishers and editors, security actors, public health officers, policy makers, research donors, and representatives from regional and UN entities. The objectives of the meeting were to consult on the scope of the Global Guidance Framework and on the critical elements this framework should address. The outcomes of this consultation will contribute to inform the development of the Global Guidance Framework. The meeting consisted of presentations and plenary discussions guided by a series of key questions. Overall, participants recommended to set up, at international level, a common terminology covering safe, secure and responsible research. Two major themes emerged during the discussions: the need for an overall risk management and a unified approach as well as the importance of awareness, education and training across the different stakeholder groups.

Regional workshop to operationalize the global guidance framework for the responsible use of the life sciences in the WHO African region

Regional workshop to operationalize the global guidance framework for the responsible use of the life sciences in the WHO African region PDF

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2023-03-28

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 9240068996

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This report summarizes the discussions of a two-day technical workshop on the operationalization of the global guidance framework in the WHO African Region and the discussions of the partners’ meeting, held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 24-25 January 2023. The workshop, which was organized by the WHO Science Division, in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Africa and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), was aimed at discussing the framework and other related existing regional initiatives; facilitating the sharing of knowledge and experience of countries on the challenges and needs in mitigating biorisks and governing dual-use research; strengthening collaboration among multiple and multidisciplinary stakeholders within the WHO African Region; identifying the needs for additional toolkits or regional guidance; and recommending concrete actions for the roll-out of a national implementation of the framework.

Research in the Life Sciences with Dual Use Potential

Research in the Life Sciences with Dual Use Potential PDF

Author: Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2012-04-26

Total Pages: 54

ISBN-13: 030922120X

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In many countries, colleges and universities are where the majority of innovative research is done; in all cases, they are where future scientists receive both their initial training and their initial introduction to the norms of scientific conduct regardless of their eventual career paths. Thus, institutions of higher education are particularly relevant to the tasks of education on research with dual use potential, whether for faculty, postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, or technical staff. Research in the Life Sciences with Dual Use Potential describes the outcomes of the planning meeting for a two-year project to develop a network of faculty who will be able to teach the challenges of research in the life sciences with dual use potential. Faculty will be able to incorporate such concepts into their teaching and research through exposure to the tenets of responsible conduct of research in active learning teaching methods. This report is intended to provide guidelines for that effort and to be applicable to any country wishing to adopt this educational model that combines principles of active learning and training with attention to norms of responsible science. The potential audiences include a broad array of current and future scientists and the policymakers who develop laws and regulations around issues of dual use.

Toxin and Bioregulator Weapons

Toxin and Bioregulator Weapons PDF

Author: Michael Crowley

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-11-22

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 3031101642

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This book explores how revolutionary developments and convergence of the chemical, life and associated sciences are impacting contemporary toxin and bioregulator research, and examines the risks of such research being misused for malign purposes. Investigating illustrative cases of dual use research of potential concern in China, India, Iran, Russia, Syria and the USA, the authors discuss how states can ensure such research and related activities are not utilised in weapons development. Although toxins and bioregulators are, in theory, covered by both the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and Chemical Weapons Convention, this apparent overlap in reality masks a dangerous regulatory gap – with neither Convention implemented effectively to address threats of weaponisation. This book highlights the potentially damaging consequences for international peace and security, and proposes realistic routes for action by states and the scientific community.

A Framework for K-12 Science Education

A Framework for K-12 Science Education PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2012-02-28

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 0309214459

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Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S. workers lack fundamental knowledge in these fields. To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students' interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field. A Framework for K-12 Science Education outlines a broad set of expectations for students in science and engineering in grades K-12. These expectations will inform the development of new standards for K-12 science education and, subsequently, revisions to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for educators. This book identifies three dimensions that convey the core ideas and practices around which science and engineering education in these grades should be built. These three dimensions are: crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science through their common application across science and engineering; scientific and engineering practices; and disciplinary core ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences and for engineering, technology, and the applications of science. The overarching goal is for all high school graduates to have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, be careful consumers of scientific and technical information, and enter the careers of their choice. A Framework for K-12 Science Education is the first step in a process that can inform state-level decisions and achieve a research-grounded basis for improving science instruction and learning across the country. The book will guide standards developers, teachers, curriculum designers, assessment developers, state and district science administrators, and educators who teach science in informal environments.

The Era of Global Risk

The Era of Global Risk PDF

Author: SJ Beard

Publisher: Open Book Publishers

Published: 2023-08-23

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 1800647891

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This innovative and comprehensive collection of essays explores the biggest threats facing humanity in the 21st century; threats that cannot be contained or controlled and that have the potential to bring about human extinction and civilization collapse. Bringing together experts from many disciplines, it provides an accessible survey of what we know about these threats, how we can understand them better, and most importantly what can be done to manage them effectively. These essays pair insights from decades of research and activism around global risk with the latest academic findings from the emerging field of Existential Risk Studies. Voicing the work of world leading experts and tackling a variety of vital issues, they weigh up the demands of natural systems with political pressures and technological advances to build an empowering vision of how we can safeguard humanity’s long-term future. The book covers both a comprehensive survey of how to study and manage global risks with in-depth discussion of core risk drivers: including environmental breakdown, novel technologies, global scale natural disasters, and nuclear threats. The Era of Global Risk offers a thorough analysis of the most serious dangers to humanity. Inspiring, accessible, and essential reading for both students of global risk and those committed to its mitigation, this book poses one critical question: how can we make sense of this era of global risk and move beyond it to an era of global safety?

Governance of Dual Use Research in the Life Sciences

Governance of Dual Use Research in the Life Sciences PDF

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2018-11-26

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 0309478022

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Continuing advances in science and technology offer the promise of providing tools to meet global challenges in health, agriculture, the environment, and economic development; some of the benefits are already being realized. However, such advances have the potential to challenge the oversight systems for responsible conduct of life sciences research with dual use potential â€" research that may have beneficial applications but that also could be misused to cause harm. Between June 10 and 13, 2018, more than 70 participants from 30 different countries and 5 international organizations took part in an international workshop, The Governance of Dual Use Research in the Life Sciences: Advancing Global Consensus on Research Oversight, to promote global dialogue and increased common understandings of the essential elements of governance for such research. Hosted by the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb, Croatia, the workshop was a collaboration among the InterAcademy Partnership, the Croatian Academy, the Croatian Society for Biosafety and Biosecurity, and the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.