LES EXPERTS DES ÉTATS PARTIES À LA CONVENTION SUR LES ARMES BIOLOGIQUES SE RÉUNISSENT À GENÈVE DU 24 AU 28 AOÛT (en anglais)

The 2009 Meeting of Experts from States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) will be held in Geneva from 24 to 28 August 2009. This year's Meeting of Experts is the third of a four-year programme mandated by the 2006 Sixth Review Conference of the BWC, 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 BWC prohibits the development, production and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons.

This year the Meeting of Experts will discuss, and promote common understanding and effective action on:

"With a view to enhancing international cooperation, assistance and exchange in biological sciences and technology for peaceful purposes, promoting capacity building in the fields of disease surveillance, detection, diagnosis, and containment of infectious diseases:

(1) for States Parties in need of assistance, identifying requirements and requests for capacity enhancement; and

(2) from States Parties in a position to do so, and international organizations, opportunities for providing assistance related to these fields."

The Meeting of Experts will be chaired by Ambassador Marius Grinius of Canada. Referring to the topic for the meeting, the Chairman said that "it reaches to the heart of one of the fundamental aims of the BWC: ensuring that the peaceful applications of biological science and technology can safely and securely reach their full potential, and that developments in these fields are used only for the benefit of humanity. Building capacity in disease surveillance, detection, diagnosis and containment is in the interests of all: it strengthens the Convention both by enhancing international cooperation, assistance and exchange for peaceful purposes, and by improving capabilities for preventing and responding to illicit uses of biological agents and toxins".

The Chairman welcomed the broad participation expected at the meeting, which will include government scientists and public health experts, as well as experts from international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); regional disease surveillance organizations; NGOs; and private sector companies. Noting that global concern over the H1N1 influenza pandemic had highlighted the need for boosting disease surveillance and response capacity worldwide, the Chairman said that "these experts' contributions will be crucial to help us review our existing disease surveillance, detection, diagnosis, and containment capacities; and identify the resources that might be used to help others build their capacity."


Following the success of the Poster Session in 2008, the 2009 Meeting of Experts will again feature this event, to be held on Thursday 27 August at 16:00. The poster session represents an opportunity for experts to meet their counterparts and maximize the chance offered for networking; it will enhance the technical information available to delegations by allowing experts to present a poster on the details of their work. The Chairman said that "this poster session, like the one last year, will encourage dynamic and direct exchange among participants, and will lead to new opportunities for cooperation and partnership".

The results of the Meeting of Experts will be considered by the Meeting of States Parties, to be held in Geneva from 7-11 December 2009. The Meeting of States Parties will review the ideas and proposals presented at the Meeting of Experts, and produce a report aimed at promoting effective action to strengthen the operation of the Convention in the areas covered by the topic.

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. It currently has 163 States Parties, with a further 13 States having signed but not yet ratified.



For further information, please contact:

Mr. Richard Lennane
Head, BWC Implementation Support Unit
Tel: +41 (0)22 917 22 30 or +41 (0)22 917 73 50
Fax: +41 (0)22 917 04 83
E-mail: rlennane@unog.ch
URL : www.unog.ch/bwc


For use of the information media; not an official record

DC09043E