GENEVA, Nov 18 (KUNA) -- UN Secreetary-General Kofi Annan, on his last visit to Switzerland as Secretary-General, has warned Saturday of the rapidly increasing risks posed by biotechnology.

Receiving the Max Schmidheiny Freedom Prize in the eastern Swiss city of St. Gallen, Annan urged the creation of global safeguards.

Annan warned of "catastrophic" results if recent advances in biotechnology, including gene manipulation and work with viruses, fell into the wrong hands.

"As biological research expands, and technologies become increasingly accessible, this potential for accidental or intentional harm grows exponentially," he added.

Annan's warning comes after he called in May for a global forum on biological terrorism, saying current treaties were too weak, and governmental and commercial initiatives too scattered. (end)