U.S.-Singapore-Malaysia-Indonesia: Multilateral Dialogue on Biosecurity

Abstract

Objective: Countries in Southeast Asia are particularly vulnerable to biosecurity threats due to the region’s dense population, high volume of cross-border traffic, and frequent, close-quarter co-location of humans and animals. For these reasons, Southeast Asia is susceptible to re-emerging and emerging diseases (e.g., SARS, H5N1, Nipah virus). Bioscience labs are also becoming more common in the region, and “viral sovereignty” continues to be an issue. Moreover, there are known terrorist networks active in the area. This project seeks to initiate sustainable and productive dialogue among the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia on sensitive issues pertaining to deliberate, accidental, and naturally occurring biothreats, dualuse science, and infectious disease outbreaks. The dialogue will help promote habits of trust and collaboration within a region where there is limited agreement on how to navigate the challenges of sharing essential public health information. It will not only strengthen each nation’s ability to identify and respond to biothreats, but also help practitioners and policy makers identify effective practices to diminish risks posed by these threats to international security.