RP to host ASEAN Regional Forum on June 10-11

The Philippines is hosting an ARF workshop on biological threat reduction next week, from June 10-11. ARF member countries have been invited to send delegates to the forum, said the foreign affairs department. Some of these ARF member countries, however, have cases of A(H1N1).

I wonder how they’re going to: 1) do self-quarantine for 10 days; and 2) hold the forum.
Will participants be wearing masks? Or will they just monitor themselves for 10 days (by which time they’d probably be in their own countries, or another country)? If any get sick, will they be required to notify Philippine health authorities? How will contact tracing be done in this case?

DFA press release:

PHILIPPINES TO HOST ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM (ARF) WORKSHOP ON BIOLOGICAL THREAT REDUCTION

5 June 2009 – The Philippines will co-host with the United States an ASEAN Regional Forum workshop that seeks to identify national and regional actions to combat biological threats.

The ARF Workshop on Biological Threat Reduction is scheduled on June 10-11 in Makati City and will be attended by delegates from agencies and institutions related to biosecurity such as health, law enforcement, foreign ministry, agriculture, and science and technology.

The workshop is the first activity under the ARF Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Work Plan in the area of biosafety and bioterrorism. It also aims to discuss global biological security issues as well as national and international efforts to mitigate biological threats.

The workshop will serve as a venue for experts to establish a biosecurity regional network in an effort to develop safe and stable bioscience architecture in the Asia Pacific region.

Additionally, inputs gained from the workshop will be used to develop a list of recommendations for the ARF on how to address individual and regional biological security issues.

All 27 ARF countries, the ASEAN Secretariat, World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, Interpol, and the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs have been invited to send delegates to the workshop.

Philippine organizations and institutions concerned with biosecurity have also been invited to participate as observers.

The ARF is the principal forum for security dialogue in Asia.