In partnership with Global Affairs Canada, 2025 President of the G7-led Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP)
Executive Summary
The workshop convened leading experts from the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) non-proliferation and counter-terrorism community, technology companies and academia to comprehensively explore how rapid technological advancement and convergence are reshaping the WMD proliferation landscape. Recognising that existing efforts to address WMD-relevant technologies (WMD-RT) are often siloed, workshop participants highlighted the urgent need to build a more cohesive and enduring community of practice.
The G7 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP) is uniquely positioned to bridge this gap by developing and delivering programming, fostering cross-disciplinary dialogue, engaging stakeholders from a range of sectors and geographies (including the Global South), and creating mechanisms for more robust government-industry collaboration (with both big tech and smaller industry partners). This in turn can form the foundation for a sustained process in developing a shared understanding of, and action-oriented approach for, WMD-RT risks and opportunities.
The GP is ideally suited to develop practical applications focusing on both near-term opportunities and longer-term actions needed to counter threats, that move beyond traditional “trust but verify” approaches toward a more forward-leaning “verify then trust” paradigm, whereby the reliability of data, technologies and behaviours are completed before assumptions on compliance are made.
Introduction
While the threats and opportunities posed by WMD-RT have long been recognised, little has been done to date to develop effective programmatic responses. In this context, as 2025 President of the G7-led Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP), Canada is leading a sustained process to identify WMD Relevant Technologies that either support WMD non-proliferation and counter-terrorism efforts or present threats that the GP can counter.
As part of that effort, this workshop explored how rapid technological advancements are re-shaping the WMD non-proliferation landscape and aimed to identify not only new challenges but also opportunities to effectively mitigate evolving threats. Over three days, stakeholders from the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) segments of the WMD non-proliferation community convened with experts from WMD-relevant technology (WMD-RT) sectors, including artificial intelligence (AI), additive manufacturing (AM), quantum technologies, and synthetic biology.
By facilitating information sharing and cross-disciplinary dialogue between WMD non-proliferation specialists and private sector technologists, the workshop sought to compile actionable programmatic recommendations for the 31 members of the Global Partnership.
Discussions revolved around three main themes: building an enduring community of practice focused on WMD-RT, framing the objectives of this community, and sketching initial outlines of practical applications.