Director-General's remarks at the occasion of the launch of the Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit

Ambassador Khan
Mr. Duarte
Excellencies
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this event to launch the Implementation Support Unit for the Biological Weapons Convention – the BWC. The establishment of the Unit is a milestone in the history of the Convention. Indeed, it is a very positive development in our overall collective efforts against biological weapons, and for multilateral disarmament in general.

As you are well aware, disarmament and non-proliferation are key priorities of the United Nations and its Secretary-General, and are essential elements in the Organization’s wider efforts for international peace and security. The Secretary-General’s emphasis on taking forward the disarmament agenda has also been reflected in a re-organization of our institutional structures with the creation of the Office for Disarmament Affairs, and I am pleased that we have with us today the newly-appointed High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Mr. Sergio de Queiroz Duarte, who heads that Office.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
For nearly four decades, the disarmament community in Geneva has worked to confront the terrible threat posed to humanity by biological weapons. The Biological Weapons Convention was negotiated in Geneva – in an earlier incarnation of the Conference on Disarmament – and all the six review conferences have been held here. The sometimes-turbulent history of the Convention has been played out here: challenges have been faced, disputes inflamed, solutions found, disappointments endured, and – as we saw in December last year – triumphs celebrated. The launch of the Implementation Support Unit marks the start of a new chapter in this important development. It is an innovative solution to the long-acknowledged need to provide an institutional focus for the Convention, and I appreciate that the establishment of the Unit has, in effect, made an official seat for the BWC at what is considered the Convention’s “spiritual” home: the United Nations Office at Geneva.

As you know, the United Nations in Geneva has long been an important centre for disarmament diplomacy. UNOG is the seat of the Conference on Disarmament and the venue for a range of disarmament meetings, negotiations and activities, including those of the BWC, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and the Convention Banning Anti-personnel Landmines. Geneva is also a centre for a number of NGOs and academics engaged on disarmament issues, and the location for many informal and unofficial gatherings, events and activities, some of which have gone on to form the basis of major international disarmament initiatives.

The establishment of the ISU is an excellent illustration of the way the disarmament community in Geneva can and should work. As many of you will be aware, the ISU was partly inspired by the success of an earlier implementation support unit set up by States Parties to the Anti-personnel Landmine Convention. Despite the differences between the two conventions, this is an example of how useful elements from one context can be picked up, refined, adapted and applied in another. I trust that the BWC Implementation Support Unit will continue this trend and provide inspiration in other disarmament areas.

An important part of our role at UNOG is to support and nurture this kind of innovative thinking, and to offer delegations the assistance they need to pursue their objectives effectively. I congratulate the States Parties on the establishment of the ISU, and assure you of my full support for the Unit’s work. I look forward to seeing the States Parties and the Unit working together to strengthen the Convention as an effective barrier against the development and use of biological weapons.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
The achievements of the Sixth Review Conference, under the able presidency of Ambassador Khan, exemplified a commitment to multilateral disarmament, and a willingness to overcome differences, identify common ground and reconcile conflicting priorities. They demonstrated a determination to ensure that our legal instruments and our practical capacities are continuously developed to address shared threats and challenges posed by ever-evolving scientific and technological advances. I hope that the spirit of flexibility and compromise that these accomplishments reflect may provide inspiration and impetus in other areas, as the need for multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation efforts is as great as ever.

Thank you very much.