Global Partnership Against WMD Newsletter (September 2020)

Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction - September 2020 Update

On behalf of the 31 members of the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (the Global Partnership), we are pleased to issue this inaugural newsletter. The Newsletter will be circulated on a quarterly basis and will provide updates on Global Partnership projects and resources, affiliated events and key developments related to preventing the proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons and related materials.

It is a fitting tribute that this newsletter is launched on the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States. The tragic events of that day were the stimulus for the establishment of the Global Partnership at the Kananaskis Summit,(2002), where Leaders recognised that “terrorists are prepared to use any means to cause terror and inflict appalling casualties on innocent people” and committed “to prevent terrorists, or those that harbour them, from acquiring or developing nuclear, chemical, radiological and biological weapons; missiles; and related materials, equipment and technology”.

More than 18 years later the G7-led Global Partnership has grown to include 30 active member countries and the European Union, has delivered more than US$25 billion in tangible threat-reduction programming and continues to lead international efforts to mitigate all manner of CBRN threats around the world.

Did you know:

Biosecurity programming implemented by GP partners, which is guided by the Partnership’s Biosecurity Deliverables, is meaningfully supporting the global response to COVID-19.

In response to the use of a chemical nerve-agent to poison Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny, G7 Foreign Ministers issued a statement on 8 September that underscored that “the use of chemical weapons, anywhere, anytime, by anybody, under any circumstances whatsoever, is unacceptable and contravenes the international norms prohibiting the use of such weapons”. Preventing and Responding to Chemical Weapons Use is a top Global Partnership priority.

In 2020, the Global Partnership’s Nuclear and Radiological Security Working Group has helped to coordinate over CA$7.4 million in Canadian-funded programming initiatives in such diverse areas as strengthening physical protection of radioactive diagnostic and treatment materials at hospitals, and the prevention of illicit trafficking of nuclear or radiological materials through airports and contested territories.

The GP has taken the plunge and joined twitterverse! Follow us at @GPWMDOfficial to stay on top of everything we are doing to make the world a safer place by #CounteringWMD.

Feature Article:

To advance the Global Partnership priority of “strengthening global mechanisms and capabilities to respond to the deliberate use of biological agents”, GP partners are supporting the Implementation Support Unit of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) to enhance Article VII of the BTWC through the development of an International Bio-Emergency Management Framework for Deliberate Events.

Community Updates:

The GP's Chemical Security Strategic Vision identifies support for the OPCW’s new Centre for Chemistry and Technology as a top priority. To date, 23 GP members have committed more than €32.3M of the €33.5M committed for the Centre, a collective contribution totalling 99% of all contributions.

With support from Global Partnership members,the IAEA has delivered support and equipment for rapid and accurate COVID-19 testing to over 100 countries since the start of the pandemic.

The United Kingdom Contributed £800,000 to Support OPCW Activities, including the Trust Fund for Syria Missions at the OPCW, the Trust Fund for Training, the Trust Fund for Security and Business Continuity (cybersecurity), and the Trust Fund for the Implementation of Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The Global Health Security Agenda Action Package Prevent-3 (APP3) on Biosafety and Biosecurity released a statement on the importance of global and multisectoral cooperation to combat COVID-19 and other future pandemics.

Japan Contributed €480,000 to the OPCW’s Trust Fund for Syria Missions.

Finland Contributed €200,000 to support OPCW activities and the Centre for Chemistry and Technology.

The United Kingdom Contributed £100,000 to future OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (8 July 2020).

In remarks delivered to a Security Council Open Video-Teleconference on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Implications of COVID-19, UN Secretary General António Guterres highlighted the threat of bioterrorism (2 July 2020).

The Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction Celebrated its 18th anniversary on June 27.

Learn about the World Customs Organization's ongoing efforts to build strategic trade controls to reduce the proliferation of WMD.

Did you know that the Global Partnership community led the way in building COVID-19 testing capacity in Ghana?

Learn more about Germany's state of the art biosecurity program and its efforts to increase capacity in Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe to combat outbreaks of highly pathogenic diseases and pandemics.

Learn about the j oint initiative being undertaken by the OIE, FAO, and INTERPOL to increase global resilience against agro-terrorism in North Africa, South-East Asia and the Middle East.

Satellite imagery of the Pyongsan Uranium Mill indicates that the site remains active, well after the 1992 IAEA site visit.

Resources:

The Global Partnership community supports the development of tools and other resources related to CBRN threat mitigation. Recent additions include:

A Compendium of International Biosafety and Biosecurity Oversight Systems for Human and Animal Pathogens and Toxins, produced by the International Experts Group of Biosafety and Biosecurity Regulators (IEGBBR) with support from Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program.
Nowhere to Hide: The Spectre of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria, a Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) project supported by the Governments of Canada and Germany.
An Introduction to Biopreparedness and An Efficient and Practical Approach to Biosecurity, both by Denmark’s Centre for Biosecurity and Biopreparedness.
Prior Assessment Tool for Sustainable Laboratories, a Chatham House initiative supported by Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program

Upcoming Events:

With support from Global Partnership members, the 6th World One Health Congress will be convened (virtually) from 30 October-3 November 2020. The Congress will include numerous Global Partnership related and relevant sessions, including:
- Biological Threat Reduction and Control of Biological agents (31 October, 16:00 CET);
- Risk Reduction Frameworks/Global Health Security (2 November, 16:00 CET);
- Biological Threat Modelling and Risk Evaluation Using Big Data (1 November, 14:00 CET); and
- a Special Partner Session organized by the WHO’s Health Security Interface (31 October, 12:00 CET).