Thu, Mar 20
|Le Meridien Jakarta
Public Seminar “Shaping the Future Together: Biosafety and Biosecurity Innovation in the ASEAN Region”
Time & Location
Mar 20, 2025, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. WIB
Le Meridien Jakarta, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman No.Kav 18 - 20, Karet Tengsin, Kecamatan Tanah Abang, Kota Jakarta Pusat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 10220, Indonesia
Event Details
Background
The Mission of Canada to ASEAN, in collaboration with Pijar Foundation, is organizing a Public Seminar titled “Shaping the Future Together: Biosafety and Biosecurity Innovation in the ASEAN Region.” Building on Canada’s existing leadership through the Mitigation of Biological Threats (MBT) in ASEAN Program—a 10 year-long and $36.6 million initiative designed to bolster ASEAN’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to biological risks, this seminar will convene 50-75 key stakeholders from government, private sector, academia, and civil society across Southeast Asia and Canada to discuss biotechnology, biosafety, and biosecurity innovation in the context of regional resilience.
The rapid advancement of biotechnology presents both transformative opportunities and emerging challenges. While biotechnology is poised to drive progress in public health, economic resilience, and security, its responsible development must be equipped with robust biosafety and biosecurity approaches to mitigate potential risks. Discussion surrounding the reinforcement of biotechnology, biosafety, and biosecurity to mitigate future biological threats in global health has re-emerged since the COVID-19 pandemic.
This seminar will build on the adoption of the “ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Strengthening Regional Biosafety and Biosecurity” in October 2024 under the ASEAN Chairship of Lao PDR, which underscores the necessity of coordinated action to address dual-use risks and ethical governance in biotechnology.
Building on this foundation, the seminar “Shaping the Future Together: Biosafety and Biosecurity Innovation in the ASEAN Region” will serve as a strategic forum to explore how biotechnology can be harnessed to mitigate future pandemics, strengthen health systems, and address emerging challenges at the intersection of health and security.
Objectives
Facilitating regional dialogues on biotechnology applications in health security, biosafety, and pandemic preparedness;
Ensuring robust biosafety and biosecurity measures are embedded in the expansion of biotechnology innovations;
Establishing a multi-stakeholder ASEAN-Canada network for continued collaboration on biosafety, biosecurity, and biotech governance;
Developing a roadmap for policy interventions that advance responsible biotechnology and public health resilience;
Demonstrating Canada’s leadership as a strategic partner in biosafety, biosecurity, and biotechnology innovation within ASEAN, particularly through the Mitigation of Biological Threats Program.