IMPLICATIONSANDLESSONSLEARNEDFROMRESPONSETOTHEEBOLAVIRUSDISEASEOUTBREAKFORTHEBWC

ResearchProjecttoInformRecommendaConsforthe8thReview

Conference

Thursday,December17,20150900-1000

HostedbytheUnitedStatesofAmerica

AGENDA

u  OpeningremarksbyU.S.AmbassadorRobertWoodu  Presenta9onbyDr.RebeccaKatz(U.S.DepartmentofState)andDr.

MaBhewLim(U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices)u  CommentsfromtheWorldHealthOrganiza9onandtheUnitedNa9ons

OfficeforDisasterRiskReduc9onu  Discussiononrecommenda9onsfortopicstobediscussedduringthe

intersessionalperiod.

IMPLICATIONSANDLESSONSLEARNEDFROMRESPONSETOTHEEBOLAVIRUSDISEASEOUTBREAKFORTHEBIOLOGICALWEAPONS

CONVENTION

ResearchProjecttoInformRecommendaConsforthe8thReviewConference

RebeccaKatz,PhDMPHU.S.DepartmentofState

katzrl@state.gov

MaBhewLim,MDU.S.DepartmentofHealth

andHumanServicesMaBhew.Lim@hhs.gov

Objec9ves

•  Projectbackground•  Abouttheproject– Methodology–  InterviewQues9ons

•  Preliminaryfindings•  Howfindingsfitwithinlargerreformcontext

EbolaResponse&theBWC

•  ResponsetoEbolainWestAfricahasfundamentallychallengedpreconcep9onsaboutinterna9onalassistancefollowingapublichealthemergency,strainingglobalpublichealthemergencyresponseandnecessita9ngsustainedcontribu9onsfrom:•  Na9onalGovernments•  IntergovernmentalOrganiza9ons•  Interna9onalOrganiza9ons:and•  CharitableOrganiza9ons,Founda9ons,andIndividualDonors.

EbolaResponse&theBWC

BWCStatesPar9esrecommenda9onstoassessEbolaresponseforlessonsrelevanttoAr9cleVIIoftheConven9on.

AboutOurProject

Intent:tolearnfromNGOs,IOSandbilateraldonorshowresponsetoEbolaoutbreakmight

havebeendifferentiftherehadbeenadeliberatecomponent.

Methodology•  Reviewedexis9ngpolicies,relevantliterature,andlessons

learneddocumentsfromEbolaresponse•  DevelopedscenariofordeliberatecomponenttoEbola

outbreak•  Iden9fiedandinterviewedkeystakeholdersfromrelevant

responseorganiza9onsonanot-for-aBribu9onbasis.•  Iden9fiedseriesofques9ons/issuesfromini9alinterviews•  RevieweddiscussionsfromUNIDIR/ISUmee9nginAugust

2015•  Conductedinterviewsandconsulta9onswithaffected

statesandbilateraldonors

•  Intenttosolicitaddi9onalcommentsfromMemberStates•  Intenttoputtogetherfinalrecommenda9onsforSpring

Scenario-DeliberateUse

Duringtheoutbreak,anon-stateactorclaimsresponsibilityfornewcasesofthediseaseinanadjacentgeographicalareawithapreviouslyunexposedpopula=on.-  Newcasescannotbeepidemiologicallylinkedtoothercasesintheongoingoutbreak

-  Canneitherprove,norrefute,that“deliberateuse”hasoccurred

Scenario-NonPermissiveEnvironment

Loca=onofsomeofnewcasesinregionofacountrynotcontrolledbyna=onalgovernmentraisingsecurityconcerns-Ifanoutbreakofaselectagentoccursinanenvironmentwherethereareknownbadactors,howdoesthatimpactyourriskcalcula9on/response?

SampleInterviewQues9ons1.  Didyourorganiza9onrespondtotheEbolaoutbreakinWestAfrica?2.  Wasthisresponsenormalforyourorganiza9on,orwasitunusual?Ifso,how/

why?3.  Ifyes,whatwasthenatureoftheresponse?Didyouorganiza9onhave

personneldeployedtoWestAfrica?4.  Wouldyourorganiza9onrespondtothe(fic9onal)outbreak?Ifso,how?Ifnot,

whynot?5.  Wouldthethreatofaninten9onaleventchangeyourorganiza9onalresponse?6.  Ifso,whatwouldbeyourorganiza9on’sprimaryconcern?7.  Whatorganiza9onwouldyouexpecttotaketheleadintheresponsetoa

poten9allyinten9onalevent?8.  Arethereappropriateguidanceavailableforwhathappensiftheeventis

inten9onal?9.  Howwouldaninten9onaleventchangehowyouperceiveyourorganiza9on’s

mandateandlegalauthori9es?10.  Woulddeliberateuseimpactyourwillingnesstosharecountermeasuresand

resources?11.  Arethereanyotherchallengesthatyouexperiencedinthehumanitarian

disasterresponsethatmightimpactaninten9onalresponseorinves9ga9on?

PreliminaryFindings

•  Scenarioplausible•  CoremandateofNGOsandIOswouldnotchangeinscenario,butmajorchallengestoresponse– NotallNGOscouldrespond– Medicalpersonnelvolunteersandsafety–  Increaseddifficultywithlogis9cs(includingmedicalevacua9on)

– Ques9onsofleadershipandcoordina9on–  Confusionoverroleofmilitaries/peacekeepers

PreliminaryFindings:MajorCategories

•  Theroleofmilitaryresources•  Leadershipandcoordina9on•  Interac9onswithNGOsandinterna9onalorganiza9ons

•  Safetyandsecurityofmedicalpersonnel•  Interac9onbetweenhumanitarianresponseeffortsandaBribu9onassessments

OutreachtoBilateralDonorandRecipientNa9ons

•  Emailoutreachtomajorbilateraldonors•  Emailoutreachtorecipientna9ons

•  Sampleques9onsinclude:–  Pleasedescribeanybarriersfacedinproviding/receivinginterna9onalassistanceinresponsetoEbola

– Doesyourgovernmenthaveguidance/policiesforinterna9onalresponsetoadeliberateevent?

–  Specificrecommenda9onsforhowBWCcommunitymightlearnfromyourcountry’sexperiencewithEbola/Ebolaresponse?

CurrentFindings

•  Theroleofmilitaryresources•  Leadershipandcoordina9on•  Interac9onswithNGOsandinterna9onalorganiza9ons(includingsafetyandsupportforresponders)

•  Na9onalplans/doctrine/exercisingresponsetodeliberatebiologicalevents

NextSteps•  Reviewaddi9onalliterature•  Reviewaddi9onalcomments/responsesfromStatesPar9es

•  Discusschallenges•  PossibleWiltonParkmee9ng•  Assesshowrecommenda9onsforBWCcommunityfitwithinlargerreformefforts

•  Revisefindingsandrecommenda9onsforIntersessionalProgramfordiscussionamongstStatesPar9es

FollowUP

•  Forcopiesofslides,ques9onsforStatesPar9esormoreinforma9on,pleasecontact:–  ISN-BPS-DL@state.gov