NIM Legal Officer participates in the 3rd African Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity in Accra, Ghana

From 16-18 August 2017 NIM Legal Officer Cédric Apercé attended the 3rd African Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity in Accra, Ghana, organised by African civil society and concerned professionals from the Global Emerging Pathogens Treatment Consortium (GET) in partnership with
West African Task Force for Emerging and re-Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreaks (WATER) and African Gong (AG). The NOGUCHI Memorial Institute for Medical Research at the University of Ghana, Legon and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research, KCCR, Kumasi Ghana hosted the event.

The conference included technical sessions and poster sessions on cutting edge issues related to emerging infectious diseases, biosecurity and biobanking, public learning and understanding of science, vaccine and immunological strategy. It gathered policy makers, researchers, as well as experts in pharmaceutical, biobanking and biosecurity with the objective of facilitating building biosecurity capacities and improving preparedness for outbreaks caused by emerging infectious diseases on the African continent.

Cédric Apercé presented on the international legal framework for biosecurity and dangerous pathogen management: the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, the UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004). He also considered the interplay between these legally binding international agreements, the International Health Regulations and the Global Health Security Agenda.

VERTIC is grateful to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office whose financial support made Mr Apercé’s participation in the conference possible.

For more about VERTIC’s NIM Programme, click here.