On May 17th our policy associate Haydn Belfield led a session on the security implications of emerging technologies at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP). The class was made up of 25 security professionals from around the world, including diplomats, colonels, and national security advisors. They examined the implications of global catastrophic risks, drawing on our recent report produce with our partners at the Global Challenges Foundation. The class then worked through through an interactive roleplay, modelling how the international community would react to a viral epidemic outbreak. The class was split into six groups representing various actors (nation-states, pharmaceutical companies, NGOs, etc) and had to negotiate and react to the unfolding situation. They then brainstormed and fleshed out policy proposals to try and reduce the risk of such a pandemic occurring.
The GCSP is an international foundation established in 1995 for the primary purpose of promoting peace, security and international cooperation through executive education and training, applied policy analysis and dialogue. Haydn presented to the ‘New Issues in Security Course’, an eight week programme for mid-career security professionals.