CEPI, Brown and NTI partner with biosecurity rising leaders to take biological threats off the table

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Brown Pandemic Center, and the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) jointly endorse the Biosecurity Rising Leaders’ Munich Security Conference Declaration: Taking Biological Threats off the Table Through Next Generation Global South Leadership. As an outcome of the Conference, the historic declaration, issued by a group of Global South Biosecurity Game Changers, calls on global partners to urgently accelerate actions to ensure biosafety and biosecurity are integral components of the 100 Days Mission and of the global life science research and biotechnology development enterprise.

On February 15, 2025, at the Munich Security Conference CEPI, the Brown Pandemic Center, and NTI,in partnership with Foreign Policy, convened rising biosecurity leaders from the Global South. Together with top-level decision-makers, these rising leaders, including Biosecurity Game Changers Fellows, discussed next steps to reduce threats posed by deliberate, accidental, and naturally occurring biological threats. Strengthening biosecurity and biosafety will unleash the benefits of new technologies by minimizing risks, so we can make progress towards achieving the 100 Days Mission and advancing global health safely, securely and equitably. The declaration has been endorsed by the event convening partners, and the Pandemic Action Network, Sentinel Bio, Asia Center for Health Security, and prominent experts.

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark said, “The Elders believe that we are at a tipping point. Coinciding with the ever-increasing risk of a new, naturally-occurring pandemic threat is the increasing risk of a manmade pandemic. Whilst pathogen research is vital, and is potentially of huge benefit to global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, the world needs to change course radically on how it is conducted and regulated.”

The declaration signed by the Global South biosecurity gamechangers calls for:

• Supporting fellowships and leadership programs to bring Global South talent into high-level decision-making in organizations at the forefront of 100 Days Mission goals and implementation.
• Institutionalizing dedicated sessions at global forums—like future MSC events—that bring emerging leaders into biosecurity and pandemic preparedness decision-making.
• Facilitating Global South-led peer-to-peer collaboration among next-generation leaders by establishing opportunities for knowledge sharing, joint initiatives, and cross-sector partnerships.
• Integrating biosecurity investments as a core pillar of global health security funding, including advocating for dedicated biosecurity and biosafety investment streams within major international bodies,e.g., CEPI, WHO, the Pandemic Fund, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), as well as regional and local organizations.
• Supporting initiatives that promote, finance, and implement performance-based standards — such as the International Standard Organization (ISO) 35001— to strengthen biosafety and biosecurity practices globally and to ensure that Global South institutions have access to the necessary resources, facilities, and training to comply with internationally recognized standards.
• Minimizing risks associated with emerging technologies by embedding protective measures from the outset.

Achieving a world that takes biological threats off the table will require a partnership among senior and rising leaders who are equally focused on health and biosecurity. This includes the following actions:

• Incentivizing financing for biosafety and biosecurity through the International Bio Funders Compact,
• Pilot testing guardrails to safeguard AI-enabled tools, speeding up the use of safeguards to screen DNA synthesis and prevent misuse, and

• Dedicating resources, incentives, and partnerships that advance biosecurity and biosafety in multilateral and bilateral global health security capacity building programs such as the Pandemic Fund.

   

Co-chair and CEO of NTI, Secretary Ernest J. Moniz said “In our interconnected world, advancing biological safety and security requires an inclusive approach with decision makers from all regions, bringing the unique expertise and perspective of emerging leaders to bear. Regardless of the current level of biotechnological development and use within their borders, all countries have a stake in developing safeguards to prevent misuse of advanced capabilities because the consequences will almost certainly extend beyond state boundaries.” 

CEPI Board Chair Jane Halton said, “The 100 Days Mission is how we will be ready for epidemic and pandemic threats, whether naturally occurring, deliberate, or accidental. And biosecurity and biosafety practices are how we will achieve this goal without causing the very catastrophe we are intending to avoid. Current and future leaders, including from the Global South, must grapple with the pace of emerging technologies, a reduction in political will for prioritizing pandemic preparedness, and the sheer multitude of emergencies like H5N1, Ebola, and Marburg, to find solutions that can be driven and implemented across generations and geographies in support of the bold ambition to take biological threats off the table as a threat to humanity.”

Beth Cameron, Senior Advisor to the Brown Pandemic Center and former White House Special Assistant to the President for Global Health Security and Biodefense said, “The only way to be ready for the rising threat of biological catastrophe is to make biosecurity an integral component of technology development and funding. Biosecurity Game Changers must be able to anticipate worst case scenarios and ensure that biosecurity and biosafety can keep up with the pace of technology and other key global health advances and pandemic preparedness and response tools.”

Participants at the Convening acknowledged the vitality of the 100 Days Mission to advance equitable and timely access to vaccines, tests, treatments and supplies, alongside the grave threat posed by potential misuse of emerging technologies. At the same time, they recognized the rapid pace of advancement in biotechnologies – particularly artificial intelligence (AI) including use of AI for design of biological molecules– requires an approach that intentionally builds biosecurity and biosafety tools and guardrails into innovation as an essential component of public and private sector investment in research and development and manufacturing.

We call on others to support, endorse, and accelerate the declaration’s implementation.