Projects / Current Projects
Trade monitoring for biological dual use items
Export Importing Monitoring Workshop, Brussels 17-18 April 2008
Hamburg University’s Research Group for Biological Arms Control on 17 and 18 April hosted a workshop entitled “Amending the WCO’s Harmonized System to Strengthen Non-Proliferation Efforts for Bioweapons” at the Hanse-Office in Brussels. The workshop aimed to bring together a diverse expertise, among others, in the area of trade and customs, biological ams control and civil soceity verification to discuss steps forward in the trade monitoring system. Most pressing was the need to discuss possible changes to the Harmonized System code to more finely identify biological dual-use items. The Research Group, in September 2007, proposed a detailed list of items to the WCO which should be identified individually. This proposal was published as official WCO document NR0713E1a (+ Annex) of 5 November 2007 and put on the agenda of the 36th session of the WCO’s HS Review Sub-Committee and as a result, the HS secreteriat was instructed to prepare a document identifying possible new numeration for the relavant items. This document will be discussed at the 37th session of the HS Review Sub-Committee in May 2008. The aim of the workshop was, therefore, to better identify relevant dual use equipment, discuss the logistics of the HS new numeration, and to exchange ideas on the usefulness of such a mechanism.
Publications
- Workshops final report. (pdf)
Presentations
- Current trends in export controls, technology transfer and non-proliferation
Ian ANTHONY (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute). (pdf)
- Introducing the concept of trade monitoring for biological dual use items
Gunnar JEREMIAS (Research Group for Biological Arms Control, University of Hamburg). (pdf)
- International Health Security? Dual use issues and WHO's Strategies
Ali MOHAMMADI (World Health Organisation, Geneva). (pdf)
- OPCW's Tracking of Scheduled Chemicals
Daniel CARDOZO (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, The Hague). (pdf)
- How Is the Harmonized System Applied in Tracking and Monitoring World Food Insecurity?
Xiaoning (Greg) GONG (Food and Agriculture Organization, Statistics Division, Rome). (pdf)
- Civil society monitoring of trade with ozone depleting substances and endangered
Julian NEWMAN (Environmental Investigation Agency, London).
- Trade Monitoring and Export Control
Anne-Charlotte MERRELL WETTERWIK (Center for International Trade and Security, University of Georgia). (pdf)
- Harmonized System as a multipurpose instrument
Izaak WIND (formerly Deputy Director, Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate, World Customs Organization, Brussels). (pdf)