Thank you Chair.

We commend you for facilitating substantive discussions over the two days at this Meeting of Experts.

India attaches high importance to capacity building through international cooperation for full and effective implementation of the Convention. We thank  theUnited Nations Office of Counter Terrorism for its presentation and its efforts towards countering bio-terrorism.

            We are pleased to share at this Meeting of Experts, in addition to our remarks yesterday, the following crucial efforts that India has been undertaking in this important area of our work.

• The BWC is one of the prominent subjects covered during India’s Annual Disarmament and International Security Affairs Fellowship launched in 2019. This Fellowship has been well received by various member states, particularly the younger generation of diplomats. We consider that this programme is a significant contribution to the Convention and its implementation. We were privileged tohost Mr. Daniel Feakes, the Chief of BWC ISU tovisit India and address the Disarmament Fellows last year on BWC and related developments, in January last year.
• India’s Department of Biotechnology and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) provide Biotechnology fellowships to foreign scholars from developing countries who wish to pursue research in newly emerging areas in biotechnology for which facilities are available in the premiere research Laboratories/ Institutes in India at the post graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels.
• Under the Khorana Program for Scholars, opportunities are provided to Indian Undergraduate and postgraduate students to gain exposure and access to world class research facilities at different laboratories of the US for internship. The program promotes research and capacity building in frontier areas of biotechnology being implemented through India- US Science and Technologyforum.
• Our PhD Fellowship Programme under Indo-Australia Collaboration (Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay-Monash University) also provides good exposure to Industry Academia Partnership and new areas of research for aspiring students.
• Our partnership with British Council, UK was announced for Researcher Links Workshop Grant 2020 and designed to promote international development- relevant research and professional development of early career researchers in the field of Lifesciences.
• ?The Department of Biotechnology in collaboration with Academy of Medical Sciences, UK launched a call for AMS-DBT Newton International Fellowship 2020(a 3 years joint postdoctoral fellowship opportunity) in June 2020.

Mr. Chair,

For the Promotion of capacity building through international cooperation, the Indian Council for Medical Research has started the
ICMR-Dept of Health Research International Fellowship Programme for Biomedical Scientists from Developing countries.

The world is now witnessing a rapid change in the way biomedical research is conducted. The developing countries are in the grip of formidable challenges posed by the existing communicable diseases coupled with new emerging infections.

• On the positive side, rapid advances in science and technology have brought in new technologies to understand the disease process and find strategies for prevention and cure.
• There are areas at the cutting edge of science such as molecular medicine, genomics, immunology, which have revolutionized knowledge for finding rapid diagnostics, vaccines, new drug targets and other therapeutic measures.
• There is an urgent need that researchers working in the core health sectors like diagnostics, epidemiology, biosecurity & biosafety, surveillance and cure are exposed to the latest advancements in knowledge and interact with scientists in their respective field of work.
• To achieve this objective and for further promoting South-South cooperation, the Indian Council for Medical Research has embarked upon international fellowships for capacity building and human resource development programme for biomedical scientists working in developing countries, including ASEAN and SAARC.
• Contribution to the ASEAN-India Science Technology & Innovation Cooperation of Govt of India for capacity building through human resourceand skill set development in areas biomedical sciences with a particular emphasis on disease outbreak and responses.
• With particular focus on the COVID-19 outbreak India provided extensive training to doctors and regulators in South Asian countries strengthening their clinical trial capacity. The Govt of India has constituted a rapid response high level team of experts from the Indian Council for Medical Researchand Dept of Biotechnology to address these objectives.

These were only some of the efforts that India has taken and in this limited time will be difficult to make an exhaustive presentation.  However, this was just to give an idea of what India has been undertaking and plans to do in future. It will continue to undertake efforts to promote capacity building with the aim of promoting effective implementation of Article X of the BWC.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.