International Federation of Biosafety Associations
Terms of Reference (Русский)
1.0 Background
The establishment of the International Federation of Biosafety Associations was initiated in October 2001 in response to the request by national biosafety professionals for an international forum.
The International Federation of Biosafety Associations offers a unique opportunity for biosafety professionals of different nations to coordinate and develop a global biosafety agenda aimed at international harmonization, sharing of information, development of common standards and collaboration in all aspects of biological safety.
The benefits envisioned by the Federation are:
- A coordinated, international biosafety network;
- Standardized biosafety and biocontainment procedures and practices;
- Expert knowledge accessible to national and international regulatory groups in all aspects of biological safety;
- Development and advancement of national biosafety expertise and the establishment of national biosafety organizations;
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2.0 Mission
Through collaboration among national and regional biosafety organizations worldwide, the mission of the International Federation of Biosafety Associations will be to support and promote biosafety on a national and international level.
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3.0 Strategic Goals
| 3.1 |
Creation, coordination and empowerment of an international biosafety advisory body; |
| 3.2 |
Establishment, documentation, maintenance, and communication of standardized biosafety protocols and procedures; |
| 3.3 |
Establishment of linkages with key partners; |
| 3.4 |
Development of an inventory of biosafety laboratory and field best practices and sharing expertise in-between national biosafety organizations; |
| 3.5 |
Supporting applied biosafety science and research. |
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4.0 Guidelines/Operating Principles
| 4.1 |
The Federation shall respect the mandates and roles of all partners and work together in a way that will enhance their efforts. |
| 4.2 |
The Federation shall collaborate with national and international member organizations with a mandate on biosafety and shall participate and/or communicate with various relevant organizations and institutions. |
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5.0 Governance
| 5.1 |
The Federation Membership
The Federation shall be composed of representatives from national, and international organizations or groups with a recognized mandate in biosafety.
Each member organization/group has to be formally organized and guided by written By-Laws/Terms of Reference or other guiding documents.
Requests for membership in the International Federation of Biosafety Associations have to submitted in writing to the Federation Secretariat with documentation on the By-laws/Terms of Reference or other guiding documents for that group.
Each member organization or group will be officially represented by the president/chair of that organization or his/her representative in addition to one other member from that organization.
Each member organization will be represented.4/27/2006
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| 5.2 |
The Federation Co-Chairs
The Federation shall be co-chaired by two member representatives from different countries and member organizations. Both Co-chairs will be elected by the member organizations for an alternating term of 2 years. One of the co-chairs will remain an extra year for continuity purposes. |
| 5.3 |
The Federation Secretariat
The Federation Secretariat shall be provided until further notice by the Office of Laboratory Security, Public Health Agency of Canada, and is itself not a member of The Federation.
Meeting agendas shall be prepared by The Federation Secretariat, in consultation with the Co-chairs, and issued two weeks prior to meetings.
Minutes of meetings shall be prepared by The Federation Secretariat and distributed to the member organizations within two weeks of the meeting date. |
| 5.4 |
The Federation Meetings
The Federation shall hold regular contacts (email, conference call etc.) to discuss strategic goals, objectives, current issues, funding and resources, communication flow and priority setting.
The Federation shall hold a meeting at least once per year in parallel or added on to meetings of national or international biosafety organizations, as funding and circumstances allow to assess progress, to determine priorities, to elect members, and to determine the subsequent year's operating plan.
Quorum for meetings shall be attendance by a simple majority of member organizations.
Decisions shall be made by consensus where consensus is defined as general agreement, either verbal or by poll. When consensus cannot be reached, decisions shall be made by a simple majority of the members present. Each member organization, including the co-chairs, receive one vote. |
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6.0 The Federation Terms of Reference
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The Co-chairs subject to ratification by the members at the next meeting of The Federation may make minor amendments to the Terms of Reference.
The Terms of Reference may be amended at any meeting of the Federation by consensus or by vote.
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7.0 List of Members
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The following organizations are currently recognized as members of the International Federation of Biosafety Associations and meet the requirements as outlined in 5.1 of the TOR:
- European Biological Safety Association (EBSA)
- Asia-Pacific Biosafety Association (A-PBA)
- American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) and its international affiliates:
- ABSA Canada
- Associacao Nacional de Biosseguranca, Brasil (ANBio)
- Japanese Biosafety Association
- International Veterinary Biosafety Working Group (IVBWG)
- International Level-4 Users Group
- Pharmaceutical Biosafety Group
- Azerbaijan Biological Safety Association (ABTA)
- Pakistan Biological Safety Association (PBSA)
- Philippine Biosafety and Biosecurity Association (PHBBA)
- Biosafety and Biosecurity Network of Thailand (BSNT)
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8.0 Observer Status
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The following organizations are currently recognized as having observer status within the International Federation of Biosafety Associations until they meet the requirements as outlined in 5.1 of the TOR and have been approved as members by the International Federation of Biosafety Associations:
- World Health Organization (WHO), Biosafety Program
- Global Health Security Action Group
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Office of Laboratory Security, Public Health Agency of Canada
- Global Partnership Program, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada
- African Biological Safety Association (AfBSA)
- Biological Safety Association of Pakistan (BSA Pak)
- Biosafety Association of Central Asia and the Caucasus (BACAC)
- Korean Biological Safety Association (KOBSA)
- Sandia National Laboratories
- International Council of the Life Sciences (ICLS)
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
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