How can civil society play a constructive role in
increasing transparency and building
confidence between states parties?
Iris Hunger
Research Group for Biological Arms Control
Weizsäcker Centre for Science and Peace Research
University of Hamburg, Germany
Jongny, 23 August 2009
How can civil society play a constructive role in
increasing transparency and building
confidence between states parties?
... is a non-state actor.
... has two sources of power:
1) Knowledge, experience and expertise, and
2) Public pressure.
... comes in three forms:
1) Epistemic communities,
2) Implementing bodies for states‘ decisions, and
3) Advocacy groups/whistle blowers.
How can civil society play a constructive role in
increasing transparency and building
confidence between states parties?
... has the aim to „make the world a better place“ by:
1) Offering advice to governments on how best to
achieve a certain aim,
2) Pressuring governments to do certain things,
3) Supporting governments in implementing their
decisions, and
4) Doing things, where governments are not willing or
able to act (filling gaps).
How can civil society play a constructive role in
increasing transparency and building
confidence between states parties?
... has three modes of action:
1) Cooperative,
2) Supportive, and
3) Confrontational.
... works at different levels:
1) Global (world),
2) National (country), and
3) Local (community).
How can civil society play a constructive role in
increasing transparency and building
confidence between states parties?
Of what? Of bioweapons relevant activities, e.g.:
1) Civilian and non-civilian biodefence activities,
2) High-risk research, and
3) National implementation.
Where? These activities are controlled by:
1) States (often limited transparency),
2) Industry (often limited transparency), and
3) Academia (Mostly complete openness).
How can civil society play a constructive role in
increasing transparency and building
confidence between states parties?
How? Transparency can be increased by:
1) Bringing data into the public sphere (investigative),
2) Collecting publicly available data from different
sources (accumulative) (only possible if data are
publicly available), and
3) Transforming data into information (only possible if
data are publicly available).
How can civil society play a constructive role in
increasing transparency and building
confidence between states parties?
In what?
1) Compliance with the bioweapons ban.
2) That the provisions of relevant treaties are being
implemented.
Between whom?
1) States parties (limited role for civil society),
2) Different actors in society (governments, industry,
the public).
How can civil society play a constructive role in
increasing transparency and building
confidence between states parties?
Examples:
Investigation of Yellow Rain incident (HSP)
Investigation of Sverdlovsk anthrax outbreak (HSP)
Collecting data on disease outbreaks (ProMED)
Unearthing and criticising controversial activities (Sunshine
Project, Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation,
TriValley Care, NYT)
Investigating past programmes (ISSA)
Analysing and supporting national implementation (VERTIC)
Analysing and verifying CBMs (LSE, Hamburg Research
Group)