SIPRI was a thematic partner to an international conference on arms control and technology at the German Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.
During the conference, ‘2019. Capturing technology. Rethinking Arms Control’, SIPRI convened discussions focusing on the risks posed to arms control by new developments in relation to biotechnology. SIPRI used the opportunity to launch a new report, ‘Bio Plus X: Governing the Convergence of Biology and Emerging Technologies’, written by Kolja Brockmann, Researcher in the SIPRI Dual-use and Arms Trade Control Programme, Dr Sibylle Bauer, Director of Studies, Armament and Disarmament, and Dr Vincent Boulanin, Senior Researcher leading SIPRI’s research on emerging military and security technologies.
Following the launch of the report, Dr Bauer moderated a session on the theme of ‘Biotechnologies’.
The three other technology themes (and partners) at the conference were: missile technologies (Foundation for Strategic Research, Paris); cyber instruments (International Institute for Strategic Studies, London); and lethal autonomous weapons systems (German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin).
About the conference
The aim of the conference was to promote a well-informed international dialogue on the nature and implications of the current technological trends and to discuss whether new solutions are needed to ensure that the global arms control architecture can effectively capture new technologies. The conference took place on 15 March 2019. For further information please visit the conference website.
