FROM ADJACENCY TO SYNERGY: MEETING OF STATES PARTIES TO BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION CONCLUDES

The Meeting of States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) was held in Geneva from 10 to 14 December 2007. The Meeting developed and consolidated the work of the Meeting of Experts (20-24 August) to promote common understandings and effective action on two specific topics:

- Ways and means to enhance national implementation, including enforcement of national legislation, strengthening of national institutions and coordination among national law enforcement institutions; and

-Regional and subregional cooperation on implementation of the Convention.

The Meeting of States Parties was chaired by Ambassador Masood Khan of Pakistan, who also chaired the Meeting of Experts and the Sixth Review Conference in 2006. Describing the results of the Meeting of States Parties, the Chairman said “we have had a very productive meeting, and have made a good start on our goal of moving from adjacency to synergy in our efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of the Convention, in the areas we have been looking at of enhancing national implementation and regional and subregional cooperation”.

The Chairman valued the “very substantive, constructive and highly focused contributions from the States Parties” on the topics of national implementation and regional cooperation.

High-level representatives from a number of international organizations participated in the Meeting of States Parties, including the Director-General of the World Organisation for Animal Health, Bernard Vallat, the Secretary General of Interpol, Ronald Noble, and the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Rogelio Pfirter. Ambassador Khan hoped this marked the beginning of extensive and fruitful cooperation with these organizations, with which States parties will “work ever more closely to achieve our shared objectives”.

The Meeting also featured special sessions devoted to dialogue with representatives of civil society and commercial industry, including chief executives officers and professional biosecurity and biosafety experts. The Chairman noted that there was a positive response and a clear interest from States parties in these highly relevant, useful, innovative, interactive discussions.

The Meeting of States Parties also reviewed the work of the new Implementation Support Unit, which was established by the Sixth Review Conference to assist States parties in their efforts to strengthen the implementation of the Convention and reduce the threat posed by biological weapons. The Unit, which became fully operational in August 2007, gave a report during the Meeting to States Parties on its activities to implement its mandate. This report was well received by the States parties.

The Meeting also reviewed activities to increase the membership to the Convention, which currently has 159 States parties. The Chairman shared his satisfaction with the results on universalization efforts and on the work of the Implementation Support Unit (ISU), noting that “both these outcomes of the Review Conference have more than proved their worth, and I strongly encourage States Parties to continue to give every support to universalization activities and the work of the ISU”.

Finally, the Meeting approved the nomination of the new Chair for 2008, Ambassador Georgi Avramchev of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and agreed on the dates for the meetings of 2008: the Meeting of Experts will be held from 18 to 22 August and the Meeting of States Parties from 1 to 5 December 2008. The 2008 meetings will address the topics of:

-National, regional and international measures to improve biosafety and biosecurity, including laboratory safety and security of pathogens and toxins; and

-Oversight, education, awareness-raising, and adoption and/or development of codes of conduct with the aim of preventing misuse in the context of advances in bio-science and bio-technology research with the potential of use for purposes prohibited by the Convention.

The Meeting of States Parties takes place amid renewed interest in and activity surrounding the BWC following the highly successful Sixth Review Conference in December 2006. The Meeting is part of a four-year programme mandated by the Sixth Review Conference aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Convention and improving its effectiveness as a practical barrier against the development or use of biological weapons. The programme builds on the success of a similar work programme held from 2003 to 2005. In coming years, the work programme will deal with biosafety and biosecurity; oversight, education, awareness-raising and codes of conduct; capacity-building for disease surveillance, detection and diagnosis; and responses in the case of alleged use of biological weapons.

The Biological Weapons Convention, more formally referred to as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction, opened for signature in 1972 and entered into force in 1975. The BWC was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of weapons. It currently has 159 States Parties, with a further 15 states having signed but not yet ratified.

For further information, please contact:

Richard Lennane
Head, BWC Implementation Support Unit
Tel: +41 (0)22 917 22 30
Fax: +41 (0)22 917 04 83
E-mail: rlennane@unog.ch
URL : www.unog.ch/bwc