Professor Maurizio Barbeschi is currently the lead of the Health and Security Interface in the World Health Organization, Health Emergencies Programme Executive Office. Professor Barbeschi role concerns the Organization’s policy and technical aspects of the health security interface, including preparedness and response to deliberate outbreaks response (including alleged use of chemical and biological agents). His role is also the one of providing strategic coordination of the safety and security implications of WHO activities related to high visibility events (mass gathering). In addition to Ebola, Pandemic and other WHO outbreak field responses, Professor Barbeschi has served as WHO representative into several international missions of relevance in the context of alleged use of chemical weapons mainly in, but not limited to, the Syrian Arab Republic (UNSC/UN Mission to Investigate Allegations of Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, 2013; the OPCW Fact-Finding mission 2014-2015; UN-OPCW Joint Investigation Mechanism 2015-2016). He formerly was an inspector with the United Nation Monitoring and Verification Commission (UNMOVIC), the ad hoc commission of the UNSC in Iraq, until war evacuation in March 2003. Starting in 1994, Professor Barbeschi has covered the role of Delegate in the Chemical Weapons Convention negotiations to the Conference of Disarmament, Member of the Provisional Technical Secretariat of the CWC, and ultimately Senior Policy Officer of the verification Division of the OPCW, before joining the WHO in 2003.

Dr Barbeschi's research interests encompass: - Health security: preparedness and response to deliberate outbreaks response - Coordination of the safety and security implications of WHO activities related to mass gatherings - CBRN - Emergencies/outbreaks field response