Rapid advances in the life sciences and technologies, and their diffusion and convergence with other disciplines, hold great promises to improve our health, societies and environment. Emerging and existing technologies can bring transformational opportunities that can play a critical role to support the mission of WHO. However, advances and developments in life sciences and associated technologies can pose risks, including safety and security risks that can cause accidental, unintended or deliberate harm to humans, animals, agriculture and our environment.

In September 2022, WHO issued the Global guidance framework for the responsible use of the life sciences: mitigating biorisks and governing dual-use research. The guidance calls on WHO Member States and other stakeholders to mitigate biorisks and safely govern dual-use research.

This is a global, technical and normative framework for informing the development of national frameworks and approaches for mitigating biorisks and governing dual-use research. The framework is intended as the starting point for the development and strengthening of biorisk management, which relies on three core pillars: laboratory biosafety, laboratory biosecurity and the oversight of dual-use research. The framework raises awareness about the importance of undertaking biorisk management within the context of the One Health approach to optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems.

Preventing and mitigating these risks is a shared responsibility and involves many stakeholders with different capacities. The TAG-RULS DUR supports WHO in advising Members States and other stakeholders to develop and implement biorisk management in their different contexts.

In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO, the TAG-RULS DUR shall have the following functions:

1. to provide, review and make recommendations to WHO on the scientific, technical and strategic aspects relevant to the monitoring and mitigation of biorisks and advances in the life sciences and related technologies, the governance of dual-use research and the responsible use of the life sciences;

2. to identify gaps, challenges, strengths and opportunities and recommend priorities to WHO and the relevant technical unit – Emerging Technologies, Research Prioritisation and Support (EPS) – on the scientific, technical and strategic aspects relevant to the anticipation, prevention and mitigation of biorisks, the governance of dual-use research and the responsible use of the life sciences;

3. to advise on the work and activities of the WHO project of Ensuring the responsible use of the life sciences: mitigating biorisks and governing dual-use research, part of the EPS unit; and

4. upon request by WHO, to advise WHO on a reporting mechanism relevant to the mitigation of biorisks, the governance of dual-use research and the responsible use of the life sciences.

Following the call for interests, WHO has appointed the 20 members of the TAG-RULS DUR, who serve in their personal capacities to represent the broad range of disciplines relevant to this area of work including but not limited to expertise on:

• oversight of dual-use research and dual-use of concern (DURC), knowledge, information, methods, products or technologies;
• biorisk mitigation and management, biosafety and biosecurity;
• emerging areas of research and technologies in biology and the life sciences (for example, but not limited to, synthetic biology, genome editing, virology, infectious diseases, bioinformatics, neurosciences) and associated disciplines (for example, but not limited to, chemistry, artificial intelligence, nanotechnologies);
• governance of emerging technologies;
• risk communication and disinformation;
• ethics, international law, policy and governance and other relevant social science domains, related to the responsible use of the life sciences, dual-use research and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response;
• foresight;
• monitoring and evaluation related to global health security; and
• One Health approach to the responsible use of the life sciences and dual-use research.

In the selection of the TAG members, consideration was given to attaining an adequate distribution of technical expertise, geographical representation and gender balance.

Members of the TAG-RULS DUR have been appointed to serve for a period of two years.

Their appointment may be terminated at any time by WHO if WHO's interest so requires or, as otherwise specified in these terms of reference or letters of appointment.  Where a member’s appointment is terminated, WHO may decide to appoint a replacement member.

The members of the TAG-RULS DUR must respect the impartiality and independence required of WHO. In performing their work, members may not seek or accept instructions from any government or from any authority external to the Organization. They must be free of any real, potential or apparent conflicts of interest.

To this end, the members have completed a declaration of interests form and their appointment has been subject to the evaluation of completed forms by the WHO Secretariat, determining that their participation will not give rise to a real, potential or apparent conflict of interest.

Notwithstanding the requirement to complete the WHO declaration of interest form, TAG-RULS DUR members have an ongoing obligation to inform the WHO of any interests real or perceived that may give raise to a real, potential or apparent conflict of interest. WHO may, from time to time, request TAG-RULS DUR members to complete a new declaration of interest form. This may be before a TAG-RULS DUR meeting or any other TAG-RULS DUR related activity or engagement, as decided by WHO. Where WHO has made such a request, the TAG-RULS DUR member’s participation in the TAG-RULS DUR activity or engagement is subject to a determination that their participation would not give rise to a real, potential or apparent conflict of interest.