In the past few days, the International Workshop on Biosafety Laboratory Management and Techniques was held successfully in Wuhan, Hubei Province. It was hosted jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and implemented by Wuhan Institute of Virology, CAS. 18 participants from 9 countries, including Nigeria, Sudan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and 8 foreign students of Wuhan Institute of Virology participated in the training. The International Workshop on Biosafety Laboratory Management and Techniques had been held successfully by Wuhan Institute of Virology twice in 2017 and 2018 respectively before.
In the opening ceremony of the workshop, Mr. Shen Jian, the Counsellor of the Department of Arms Control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said that China had taken the problems about biosafety seriously and been working on improving its own biosafety capabilities. According to his speech, China hoped to cooperate positively with other countries to response to the challenges in social development that were brought in by biotechnology, jointly benefit the world and build a community with a shared future for global biosafety. Mr. Zhuang Yan, the Division Director of the International Organization Division of Bureau of International Cooperation, CAS, Prof. Yuan Zhiming, the President of Wuhan Branch of CAS, and Prof. Gong Peng, the Deputy Director General of Wuhan Institute of Virology delivered speeches. They pointed out that enhancing high level biosafety laboratory management was an important measure to carry out biotechnology research and development and prevent biosafety risks, and that CAS was willing to treat the workshop as a basis to propel the countries in the world to strengthen biosafety laboratory management, build a global prevention and control system for public health, and make contributions in implementing pathogen study, disease control and the response to public health emergencies.
During the 5-day training, Mr. Daniel Feakes, the Chief of the UN Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit, Prof. René Courcol, the quality control system expert of France's BSL, and Prof. Shi Zhengli, the Principal Investigator in Wuhan Institute of Virology, and other senior biosafety experts were invited to train the participants. The courses covered the subjects including biosafety laboratory management, biorisk assessment as well as the operation regulations and practical operation in biosafety.
As an important part of implementing China’s international commitment of Biological Weapons Convention, the workshop promoted the exchanges and sharing of China’s experience in biosafety management, and extended the scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation between China and other developing countries in prevention and control of infectious diseases. Through the workshop, the participants considered that their biosafety laboratory management and technique levels were improved and committed that they would play their due roles, and promote China’s efforts and achievements in preventing and controlling biosafety risks so as to enhance the world community’s joint maintenance of global biosafety.