Nicholas Cropper, Shrestha Rath, and Ryan Teo, mentored by CSER Research Associate Tom Hobson, have won the Sixth Annual Next Generation for Biosecurity Competition.
In their paper, Creating a Verification Protocol for the Biological Weapons Convention: A Modular-Incremental Approach, the team proposes that verification, in the context of the BWC, should be defined as “an ongoing process of data monitoring, assessment, and evaluation aimed at appraising a state party’s intent to comply with the BWC while also accounting for ambiguities inherent in the dual-use nature of biotechnology.” Using this definition, the authors outline a modular-incremental approach to establishing a comprehensive verification regime that reduces barriers to and incentivizes the submission of confidence building measures. Verification would be supported by strengthening Article X, expanding institutional support to BWC member states, and instituting a formal mechanism under Article V to collaboratively review evidence of noncompliance. The team proposes specific technical solutions that correspond with each policy approach to increase the measures’ effectiveness in assessing intent to comply.
