He said India has consistently called for stronger compliance measures within the BWC, including verification designed for today's world.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said bioterrorism is a serious concern that the international community has to be adequately prepared for, adding that India remains a trusted partner to the Global South and a committed supporter of global biosecurity.
In his remarks at a conference on 50 Years of the Biological Weapons Convention: Strengthening Biosecurity for the Global South, New Delhi, the External Affairs Minister said, "Misuse by non-state actors is no longer a distant possibility. Bioterrorism is a serious concern that the international community has to be adequately prepared for. Yet the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) still lacks basic institutional structures, as we were just reminded. It has no compliance system, it has no permanent technical body, and no mechanism to track new scientific developments. These gaps must be bridged in order to strengthen confidence."
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He said India has consistently called for stronger compliance measures within the BWC, including verification designed for today's world.
India supports international cooperation and assistance, enabling the exchange of materials and equipment for peaceful use, Jaishankar said
"We have further called for a systematic review of scientific and technological developments so that governance does indeed keep pace with innovation," the External Affairs Minister said.
"We have proposed a National Implementation Framework that, inter alia, covers identification of high-risk agents, oversight of dual-use research, domestic reporting, incident management, and continuous training," Jaishankar said.
He said India has voiced that assistance during biological incidents must be fast, it must be practical, and it must be purely humanitarian.
"For 50 years, BWC has stood by one simple idea: that humanity rejects disease as a weapon. But norms survive only when nations renew them. The next 50 years will demand concerted action," Jaishankar said.
"We must modernise the Convention, we must keep pace with science and strengthen global capacity so that all countries can detect, prevent, and respond to biological risks. India stands ready. We remain a trusted partner to the Global South and a committed supporter of global biosecurity," he said.
"Synthetic biology, genome editing, and AI-driven design make biological manipulation easier than ever. We have long highlighted concerns relating to advancements in science and technology that have implications for international security and disarmament through annual resolutions in the UN General Assembly First Committee," Jaishankar said.
He said another resolution by India, adopted by consensus, is "Measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring WMD".