Professor
Hei Chan Lee

Title:  Biosafety & Biosecurity Implementation and Policy

Emerging infectious diseases such as SARS, MERS, Ebola, and COVID-19 have gone beyond mere public health crises, elevating national biosafety and biosecurity policies to matters of national security and reshaping the overall framework of international evaluation. The 2003 SARS outbreak prompted the revision of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). The emergence of MERS in 2012, and especially the 2015 outbreak in Korea, accelerated the establishment of national crisis response systems and standardized biosafety guidelines. The 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa triggered not only a health crisis but also social and economic collapse and national security threats, leading to the launch of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, the introduction of the Joint External Evaluation (JEE), and the creation of the World Bank’s Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 highlighted the collapse of health systems, disruptions in global supply chains, and vaccine inequities, underscoring that health security is directly linked to the strategic management of resources. In response, the European Union pursued joint procurement, the Americas managed medical supplies and vaccines as security resources, Asia enhanced digital surveillance and epidemic control, and Oceania reinforced border quarantine and regional health diplomacy.

As a result, international evaluations of biosafety and biosecurity have advanced through frameworks such as the GHSA, IHR, and JEE. These have expanded beyond basic biosafety standards to incorporate comprehensive indicators including One Health, risk communication, countering misinformation, and strategic stockpiling of critical resources. What began with laboratory-centered evaluations after SARS has evolved, through the experiences of Ebola and COVID-19, into holistic assessments of national and international health security. Looking ahead, the WHO Pandemic Agreement and the revision of the IHR are expected to place greater emphasis on legal obligations, financial sustainability, and international solidarity.

In this context, it is crucial to review the results of international evaluations of biosafety and biosecurity, compare the impacts of COVID-19 across countries, and discuss the lessons these findings provide.

Presenting author details

Full name: Hei Chan Lee

Contact number: (+82)1042342376

Email: heichan@sunmoon.ac.kr

ORCID: 0000-0003-4257-4240

Category: oral presentation