Strengthening Biosecurity and Health-Security Collaboration in the ASEAN Region

Executive Summary

On 9 October 2024, ASEAN adopted a Leaders’ Declaration on Strengthening Regional Biosafety and Biosecurity, a world-leading declaration on biosafety and biosecurity spearheaded by Laos PDR during its 2024 ASEAN Chairmanship. This Declaration, and the eight commitments enshrined in it, aims to strengthen the capacities and capabilities of the region and the ASEAN Member States on biosafety and biosecurity. Under the leadership of the ASEAN Health sector, the consultation process and adoption of this Declaration were carried out, building on over a decade of partnership between ASEAN Health Cooperation and Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program (WTRP) through the Mitigation of Biological Threats (MBT) in the ASEAN Region Program.

Led by Lao PDR’s Ministry of Health and hosted by Indonesia’s Ministry of Health, Wilton Park, in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, convened a dialogue on Strengthening Biosecurity and Health-Security Collaboration in the ASEAN Region through the MBT platform. The event took place in January 2025, with the primary objective of enhancing multi-sectoral collaboration on biosafety and biosecurity.

This event was attended by key representatives from the ASEAN health (ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Health Development, or SOMHD), foreign affairs (ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting, or SOM) and defence (ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting, or ADSOM) communities. It also included international health security experts and bilateral partners. Key discussions focused on highlighting the potential benefits of multi-sectoral collaboration, including fostering innovation, strengthening institutional capacities, and promoting shared responsibilities. Emphasizing these advantages can facilitate greater engagement and cooperation among stakeholders.

The event encouraged stakeholders to approach “health security” as more than just a topic for the health sector and explored ways and means to prioritize biosecurity and health-security in the national agendas of ASEAN Member States. This engagement underscored the interdependence between the health, defence, and foreign affairs sectors in addressing biosecurity threats. By convening these key stakeholders, the event aimed to enhance institutional cooperation, laying the foundation for more integrated and coordinated health security policies and initiatives across ASEAN Member States. The event also recognized the challenges and opportunities posed by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, which may increase the complexity and severity of biosecurity threats. The conference emphasized the urgent need for strategic multi-sectoral efforts in effectively addressing these evolving threats.

Based on these areas of discussion, participants developed the following recommendations and action points:

• Establish an ASEAN Biosafety and Biosecurity Network to enhance regional coordination and cooperation. Guided by commitment #2 of the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration, it is essential to establish a clear governance structure and terms of reference for the ASEAN Biosafety and Biosecurity Network, with well-defined roles and responsibilities to ensure coordination and accountability. The ASEAN Biosafety and Biosecurity Network will oversee the coordination and implementation of regional biosafety and biosecurity initiatives, including the development of a Plan of Action for the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration. The Network will be established with the health sector as the lead and core membership will be extended to the defence and foreign affairs sectors, followed by the progressive integration of other sectors (including animal health, law enforcement, agriculture, and environmental health). Initial efforts of the Network will focus on showcasing the key advantages of cooperation and coordination to other sectors to demonstrate its value and effectiveness in enhancing regional coordination, preparedness and policy integration across multiple sectors.
• Strengthen multi-sectoral coordination by conducting landscape analyses to identify gaps and challenges to inform cross-sectoral initiatives and policies: One of the key recommendations from the dialogue was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of national and regional systems, laws, regulations and policies to identify best practices, gaps and challenges, led by the ASEAN Biosafety and Biosecurity Network. The assessment would include an analysis of case studies from past crises for real-world insights and lessons learned from preventing, detecting and responding to biological threats and incidents. It would also leverage existing regional and international resources such as the JEE Report, PVS, CBRN NAPs, etc.
• Develop a Plan of Action (PoA) for the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration that outlines national and regional activities and initiatives: Aligned with ASEAN’s practice for developing a Plan of Action (PoA) for the operationalization of the Leaders’ Declaration, it was recommended that the PoA outline, inter alia, specific objectives, timelines, sectoral engagement strategies and evaluation mechanisms. The PoA must also establish clear roles and responsibilities for regional and national stakeholders, which will ensure a coordinated regional approach to implementing the Declaration.
• Conduct multi-sectoral training and capacity building programs, workshops, and simulations to enhance cross-sectoral skills, technical expertise, and response mechanisms. These recommended initiatives promote knowledge-sharing, policy development, and collaboration among key sectors, including health, defence, foreign affairs, animal health, law enforcement, agriculture, and environmental health. The dialogue underscored the importance of sustainable training and capacity building activities for the biosafety and biosecurity workforce, including through multi-sectoral and multilateral cooperation among ASEAN Member States and health-security experts and stakeholders.
• Align public health, defence, and foreign policy sectors and promote a multi-sectoral regional approach to health-security strengthening. ASEAN sectoral bodies outlined their mandates, priorities, and contributions to biosafety and biosecurity, reaffirming their commitment to enhancing multi-sectoral coordination, capacity-building, and regulatory frameworks. The discussions also underscored the critical role of the UN Secretary-General’s Mechanism (UNSGM) as an entry point for collaboration, encouraging ASEAN to leverage this and other global initiatives to strengthen biosafety and biosecurity. The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 and UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540 were highlighted as key global commitments in which all ASEAN Member States are signatories, though national focal points from different sectors present challenges for inter-sectoral coordination. The conference concluded with stakeholders emphasizing the need for structured multi-sectoral partnerships, resource mobilization, and policy alignment to effectively address emerging health security threats.
• Enhance the capabilities and resilience of national and regional laboratories by generating innovative solutions for sustainable laboratories that are suited to the context of ASEAN Member States. A key recommendation was to conduct gap analyses across ASEAN Member States to identify deficiencies in laboratory infrastructure, workforce capabilities, and biosafety and biosecurity measures, which can lead to more targeted investments in laboratories. ASEAN Member States should explore joint regional procurement of laboratory supplies to improve cost-effectiveness and resource accessibility. Additionally, the standardization of operating procedures and material sharing among laboratories is critical to further streamline collaboration and enhance biosafety and biosecurity practices in line with international regulations, including the storage and transport of high-risk pathogen samples. The engagement of ASEAN Member States in initiatives like BioPREVAIL (Biological Preparedness and Resilience through Evolution and Innovation of Laboratories) has the potential to transform laboratories, as BioPREVAIL aims to reimagine a new type of safe, secure and effective biocontainment diagnostic laboratory that is fit-for-purpose in low-resource environments.
• Promote ethical research and responsible scientific practices across ASEAN. To prevent issues related to Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC), ensure regional oversight, policy guidance, and coordination on upholding ethical and safety standards in research involving biological materials. Maintain a national inventory of dangerous pathogens in each ASEAN Member State to effectively track, manage, and secure high-risk biological agents, reducing the risk of misuse, accidental release, or unauthorized access. By integrating these measures, as articulated in one of the commitments of the Leaders’ Declaration, ASEAN can foster a culture of ethical scientific research, enhanced biosafety and biosecurity governance, and strengthened regional and global trust in its research practices.
• Facilitate information and data sharing and ensure standardized protocols that ensure efficient, secure, and transparent cross-sector collaboration. These protocols should define clear guidelines for safe and secure data sharing and classification, access control, and information-sharing mechanisms among relevant sectors, including health, defence, foreign affairs, law enforcement, and agriculture. It is important for ASEAN to explore the use of secure digital platforms and encrypted communication channels to enhance data integrity and confidentiality and prevent unauthorized access while promoting timely and accurate information exchange. Leveraging ASEAN’s existing information-sharing mechanisms, including the ASEAN EOC Network, the ASEAN Biodiaspora Virtual Centre (ABVC) and the ASEAN Portal for Public Health Emergencies, will enable timely and relevant information-sharing on health crises with ASEAN Member States and multi-sectoral stakeholders. Regular inter-agency coordination meetings, joint reporting mechanisms, and crisis communication strategies will further strengthen trust, interoperability, and coordinated responses to biosecurity threats. By formalizing these measures, ASEAN can enhance regional preparedness, decision-making, and rapid response capabilities in biosafety and biosecurity.

This report is structured around key themes and emphasizes aspects that emerged from the conference and generated the most discussion, along with lessons learned from past crises. It concludes with specific recommendations and next steps for enhancing biosecurity and health-security collaboration in the ASEAN Region.