Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Website Launch

I am very pleased that you could all join us for the launch of this new website for the BWC, one of several websites that are currently being developed in the disarmament section of the overall UNOG website.

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

An important part of our role at UNOG is to support and nurture this activity, and in particular to offer delegations the support and help they need to pursue their objectives effectively. We also want to help the media and the general public understand the disarmament processes as they develop, the challenges we face, and the progress we are making. The key to both these goals is information, and I have been strongly supporting the development of the UNOG website as a tool for better dissemination of accurate, relevant and up-to-date information on disarmament issues.

This is already showing results. The disarmament section of the UNOG website is already by far the most visited part of the website, much used by those following the CD. And I am sure the number of visitors will increase dramatically as the new parts of the disarmament website - such as the BWC site we will see this morning - are brought on line.

This morning you will see a website that is designed with your interests in mind; designed as a practical tool to help you, whether you are a member of a delegation preparing for the Sixth Review Conference of the BWC, or an international organisation or NGO preparing for the same meeting, or a media representative looking for background on the complex issues surrounding the Conference. The website will save you time, and will ensure that you can be confident you have the most up-to-date information and documents. Furthermore, your capitals and head offices can access the information directly, giving fax machines across Geneva a well-earned rest.

Over the coming weeks, other sections of the website will be developed, dealing with the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), anti-personnel landmines, and small arms and light weapons. As the second half of this year has a full schedule of disarmament meetings and conferences, I encourage you to make full use of these web resources to help make the best use of your time.

I would like to thank you for coming to this launch: I hope you find the presentation interesting and the BWC website useful”.