NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar today called for urgent global reforms to strengthen biosecurity and fortify the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), warning that the threat of bioterrorism is no longer a distant possibility.
Addressing a conference in New Delhi marking 50 years of the BWC, Dr. Jaishankar noted that scientific advances are rapidly outpacing existing global governance frameworks, creating new risks. He stressed that the convention, while a vital “guardrail” against misuse in life sciences, must be modernised as it currently lacks a compliance system, a permanent technical body, and a mechanism to track new scientific developments.
Highlighting the transnational nature of biological threats, the Minister proposed an Indian-led National Implementation Framework. This framework would cover the identification of high-risk agents, oversight of dual-use research, domestic reporting, and incident management.
Dr. Jaishankar also underscored India’s role as a global health leader, noting that the country makes 60 per cent of the world’s vaccines and supplies over 20 per cent of global generic medicines, including 60 per cent of Africa’s generics. He stressed that these capacities, alongside India’s nearly 11,000 biotech startups, position the Global South to play a central role in shaping the next 50 years of biosecurity.