International and Government organizations
WHO’s is to build a better, healthier future for people all over the world. Working through offices in more than 150 countries, WHO staff work side by side with governments and other partners to ensure the highest attainable level of health for all people.
Together we strive to combat diseases – infectious diseases like influenza and HIV and noncommunicable ones like cancer and heart disease. We help mothers and children survive and thrive so they can look forward to a healthy old age. We ensure the safety of the air people breathe, the food they eat, the water they drink – and the medicines and vaccines they need.
CDC works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens in America to do the same.
CDC increases the health security of America. As Americas health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish our mission, CDC conducts critical science and provides health information that protects America against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.
Health Canada is responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health. It ensures that high-quality health services are accessible, and works to reduce health risks.
At the Health and Safety Executive, we believe everyone has the right to come home safe and well from their job. That’s why our mission is to prevent work-related death, injury and ill health.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was established in 2005. It is an EU agency aimed at strengthening Europe's defenses against infectious diseases. It is located in Stockholm, Sweden.
ECDC works in three key strategic areas: it provides evidence for effective and efficient decision-making, it strengthens public health systems, and it supports the response to public health threats.
ECDC core functions cover a wide spectrum of activities: surveillance, epidemic intelligence, response, scientific advice, microbiology, preparedness, public health training, international relations, health communication, and the scientific journal Eurosurveillance.
ECDC disease programmes cover antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections; emerging and vector-borne diseases; food- and waterborne diseases and zoonoses; HIV, sexually transmitted infections and viral hepatitis; influenza and other respiratory viruses; tuberculosis; and vaccine-preventable diseases. All in all, ECDC monitors 52 communicable diseases.
The need to fight animal diseases at global level led to the creation of the Office International des Epizooties through the international Agreement signed on January 25th 1924. In May 2003 the Office became the World Organisation for Animal Health but kept its historical acronym OIE.
The OIE is the intergovernmental organisation responsible for improving animal health worldwide.
It is recognized as a reference organisation by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in 2017 has a total of 181 Member Countries. The OIE maintains permanent relations with 71 other international and regional organisations and has Regional and sub-regional Offices on every continent.
Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO's efforts – to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
Our three main goals are: the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all; and, the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air, climate and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations.
The Central Committee on Biological Safety (ZKBS) is a voluntary expert panel responsible for evaluating genetically modified organisms (GMOs) with regard to the potential risks posed to humans, animals and the environment and delivering opinions on this matter.
The ZKBS was launched in February 1978 with the Directives on protection against damage from nucleic acids which have been recombined in vitro. This was finally institutionalised in law by the Genetic Engineering Act, which came into force in 1990.
We provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management.
We have a vision to provide economic opportunity through innovation, helping rural America to thrive; to promote agriculture production that better nourishes Americans while also helping feed others throughout the world; and to preserve our Nation's natural resources through conservation, restored forests, improved watersheds, and healthy private working lands.
The Netherlands Commission on Genetic Modification (COGEM) is an independent scientific advisory committee composed of scientists. The main functions of COGEM are to give statutory advice to the Dutch Minister for the Environment on the risks to human health and the environment from experiments under contained conditions (laboratories, greenhouse, production facilities) with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), and the release and marketing of GMOs, and to inform the Dutch government of ethical and societal issues linked to genetic modification.
The scope of COGEM covers all fields, ranging from agriculture to medicine and from contained use to deliberate release of GMOs. However, COGEM solely advises on environmental risks and does not advise on food safety, animal welfare, or patient safety (e.g. in relation to gene therapy).
The tasks and structure of COGEM are laid down in the Environmental Protection Act.
The Belgian Biosafety Server is one of the Web sites developed and managed by the Biosafety and Biotechnology Unit of the Scientific Institute of public Health in Belgium. The Scientific Institute of Public Health implements policies in response to the legal framework and priorities of the Federal Minister for Health and the Federal Public Service for Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment.
The Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) is led by its president, Isabel Rothe, who is responsible for the scientific divisions "Policy Issues and Programmes", "Products and Work Systems", "Work and Health" and "Hazardous Substances and Biological Agents". Also established as a division of the BAuA is the "Federal Office for Chemicals", which focuses on sovereign tasks under the ambit of chemicals legislation. The sixth division is responsible for transfer management, while the Central Division ensures the BAuA's effective administration. The DASA Working World Exhibition performs a special role by providing its services to a wide audience.
The mission of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) is to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources including soil, water, air, quietness and forests. It is responsible for the protection against natural hazards, safeguarding the environment and human health against excessive impacts, and conserving biodiversity and landscape quality. It is also responsible for international environmental policy.
Theme Biotechnology: https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/en/home/topics/biotechnology.html
UNECE's major aim is to promote pan-European economic integration. UNECE includes 56 member States in Europe, North America and Asia. However, all interested United Nations member States may participate in the work of UNECE. Over 70 international professional organizations and other non-governmental organizations take part in UNECE activities.
One of the activities of UNECE is Transport of Dangerous goods. We work to promote sustainable transport which is safe, clean and competitive, through the development of freight and personal mobility by inland transport modes, by improving traffic safety, environmental performance, energy efficiency, inland transport security and efficient service provision in the transport sector.
The Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP) regulates the possession, use, and transfer of biological select agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public, animal or plant health, or to animal or plant products. Common examples of select agents and toxins include the organisms that cause anthrax, smallpox, and bubonic plague, as well as the toxin ricin.
While potentially dangerous, work with select agents and toxins provides important scientific discoveries that have led to improved detection, prevention, diagnostic, and treatment options for diseases considered to be some of the most threatening to public, animal, and plant health. FSAP allows laboratories to conduct lifesaving research on these potentially dangerous materials while making sure it is done as safely and securely as possible.
- The Australia Group
The Australia Group is an informal arrangement which aims to allow exporting or transshipping countries to minimise the risk of assisting chemical and biological weapon (CBW) proliferation. The Group meets annually to discuss ways of increasing the effectiveness of participating countries’ national export licensing measures to prevent would-be proliferators from obtaining materials for CBW programs.
Participants in the Australia Group do not undertake any legally binding obligations: the effectiveness of their cooperation depends solely on a shared commitment to CBW non-proliferation goals and the strength of their respective national measures.
All states participating in the Australia Group are parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), and strongly support efforts under those Conventions to rid the world of CBW.