The Fight Against Biological Warfare

By: Neha Seshadri

With transportation being so easily accessible, it is easier than ever for terrorists to create bioweapons and cause mass destruction. Yesterday, the Disarmament and International Security committee (DISEC) was faced with a biowarfare crisis. Leftover biological weapons, including anthrax, were found in Iraq. ISIS then released a biological weapon that resulted in other countries closing their borders to the Middle East. To deal with the imminent threat, DISEC has worked hard through committee sessions to introduce two working papers that deal with biowarfare.

Working paper 2.1, sponsored by Nigeria, Cuba, Brazil, and Sudan, recommends regional partnership groups to address border security and export controls. The resolution encourages all nations to create a database to collect information about internationally transported biological weapons and major suppliers of weapons of mass destruction. It also suggests that the creation of a subcommittee called the United Nations Biological Intelligence Organizations (UNBIO) that fosters international collaboration on biodefense techniques and provides protection from bioweapons.

Working paper 2.2, sponsored by Morocco, Guatemala, Canada, and Libya, encourages a collaborative approach by the UN Security Council and the World Health Organization for countries to conduct research on biological weapon prevention. The resolution uses a three-level classification of nations that determines the extent of a nation’s privilege in researching biological weapons. This classification will help control the development of biological weapons and restrict research to those countries that have appropriate security protocol. This resolution will allow for additional transparency and accountability by countries who have biological weapons.

Biological warfare is extremely important and we need to address biological warfare and find appropriate ways to fight against it. We here at the IPC appreciate all of the work DISEC has done and wish them the best of luck in passing these resolutions!