Context: At the 61st Munich Security Conference, I had the honor to participate in a roundtable titled "Mission Possible! Fast-tracking biosecurity and the 100 Days Mission with next-generation leaders across the Global South" with CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), Nuclear Threat Initiative | Bio, and the Brown University Pandemic Center.

At this roundtable, we discussed:
🔹 Barriers to achieving the 100 Days Mission and biosecurity goals
🔹 Innovations that may be needed to achieve the mission, and
🔹 Thoughts on what we should do next through proper biosecurity governance

🤔 Why are we talking about this at the Munich Security Conference?

The MSC began as a transatlantic dialogue forum focused on defense and security issues, particularly within the NATO alliance. In recent years, however, this premier global security summit has had growing recognition that biological threats are a major security risk as well. ☣️

So why are we talking about the 100 Days Mission — an initiative aiming to develop medical countermeasures within 100 days of a newly recognized biological threat — in what is known as the "Davos of Defense?" And why do we say that Global South countries need to be more involved in this conversation when they're not science superpowers?

In all honesty, as someone working on biosecurity in the Global South, I sometimes worry I'm exhausting the terms "Global South" and "next-generation leadership" in the space; I worry folks believe I am simply posing the idea for more opportunities or an altruistic endeavor for diversity and inclusion. I worry the field doesn't see the idea that there should be more involvement of the Global South as a true strategic move for global biosecurity and, instead, see it as a "nice to have." True inclusion as a principle is severely important to me as well, but it’s not just a feel-good idea that should be sporadically sprinkled into the conversation. I believe it truly is pragmatic for building global trust and establishing robust biosecurity effectiveness. It’s an area for strengthening biosecurity that we are not looking into that much, and we need that to change. I’ve learned we’re certainly not at the point of having exhausted this conversation.

In this declaration, we, emerging biosecurity leaders, are committed to taking biological threats off the table by:

🔹 Driving innovation while ensuring responsible governance
🔹 Advancing the 100 Days Mission for rapid pandemic response
🔹 Strengthening biosecurity in emerging biotechnologies

If you are on the same page, please support the declaration through the link above and kindly share with your network!