US Embassy Hosts Biological Threat Reduction Working Group
On September 12 and 13, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Cooperative Threat Reduction Policy, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the Defense Threat Reduction Office of the US Embassy in Kyiv met with representatives from the Government of Ukraine to facilitate the implementation of the Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) in Ukraine. The purpose of the session was to discuss numerous aspects of ongoing and future BTRP initiatives, including biosecurity, biosafety, and collaborative research.
Following opening remarks from Ambassador William B. Taylor, the U.S. attendees discussed policy and implementation issues with their counterparts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agricultural Policy, and the National Security and Defense Council; pathogen consolidation; laboratory missions of the Ministry of Health; biosecurity requirements; an electronic infectious disease surveillance system; a pathogen assets control system; and the means to implement these projects.
In the recent past, the Biological Threat Reduction Program has provided diagnostic laboratory equipment and materials to enhance Ukraine's human and veterinary health services' capabilities to reduce the threat of Avian Influenza.