Biological Weapons Convention
Codes Of Conduct

Codes of Conduct for Scientists

Under the BWC Three-Year Program of Work, the consideration of the content, promulgation, and adoption of codes of conduct for scientists occurred in 2005. The Meeting of Experts was held in June, and the Meeting of States Parties in December.

Codes of Conduct were considered by both BWC Regional Workshops. In the Second Workshop, Dr Bob Mathews discussed the role of codes of conduct in the context of the BWC as being to raise awareness of BWC issues. This includes raising awareness of international obligations under the Convention, of BWC-related domestic laws and regulations, of the dual-use dilemma in the context of 'dangerous research', and finally, of the possibility of inadvertently assisting or supporting either bio-terrorism activities or the proliferation of biological weapons. In Dr Bob's view, the purpose of such codes is also to facilitate development of a responsible culture and behaviour in individual scientists and in workplaces and institutions, in order to minimise the risk of misuse of the biological sciences for hostile purposes.

Professor John Webb and Dr Bob provided a presentation at the Second Workshop on what they refer to as 'layers' of codes, consisting of:

1. Guiding Principles (ie a universal code).
2. Scientific Society Codes (ie codes of ethics).
3. Institutional or Workplace Codes (ie codes of practice).

Professor Webb and Dr Bob see these various codes as being complementary and mutually reinforcing, and therefore most effective if developed as a package. Dr Bob provided participants with a possible template of an Institution or Workplace Code, which would be the most detailed of the three layers, and would be tailored to the needs of the particular workplace.

One of the outcomes of the Second Regional Workshop was a follow-up activity involving examination of all three aspects or layers of codes at the national level, as a means to cooperate in developing active codes within our region.

Resources

Elements for Codes of Conduct (pdf)

Bioethics Related Activities in Indonesia (pdf)