Strategies to strengthen biosecurity regulation in the ASEAN region and the United States: Approaches and implications

The rise of biological threats, such as new infectious diseases, including coronavirus disease (COVID-19), bioterrorism and unregulated biotechnology use, shows that it is critical for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region to have strong biosecurity laws, especially to safeguard public health. In this study, we examine the current biosecurity laws in three ASEAN countries: Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. We discuss the main problems and opportunities related to legal changes and compare these laws with those in the United States (US). We distinguish biosafety, which concerns manageable risks associated with living modified organisms (LMOs), from biosecurity, which concerns predominantly uncontrollable threats. Biosecurity and biosafety hazards are, in general terms, conceptually related to public health, LMOs and biological weapons and are governed by separate sets of international laws. Rapid progress in biology, artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure has created complex risks to the health of people, animals and the environment. The experiences in several regions affected by COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome and H1N1 influenza highlight the imperative for synchronised legislative and institutional responses. We use a qualitative methodology to analyse national legislation and international legal frameworks and standards, including the Biological Weapons Convention, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention of Biological Diversity and the International Health Regulations (IHRs) from the World Health Organization. The results show that Singapore has a well-established, regularly updated biosecurity system. Malaysia is working to build its system through new laws and policies, and Brunei’s system is still in the developing stage. The US has a comprehensive legal framework that covers how to respond to pandemics, control disease and comply with international agreements. The results reveal ongoing concerns regarding the three ASEAN countries, specifically, the absence of standardised biosecurity protocols, robust legal systems and cooperation between sectors and countries. Hence, to tackle current and emerging biosecurity concerns, these countries need to address these issues and apply lessons learned from the US.