Experts Meet to Strengthen Biological Arms Ban

GENEVA, Switzerland, August 19, 2003 (ENS) – Biological weapons are banned in most countries of the world by international agreement. But the absence of any formal verification regime to monitor compliance with the treaty has limited its effectiveness. On Monday, experts from around the world opened a two week meeting here to strengthen compliance mechanisms in preparation for a high level meeting in November.

Experts from the 150 countries that are Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention, and representatives of United Nations agencies, will address two issues - the adoption of national measures, including the enactment of penal legislation for violations; and the adoption of national mechanisms to establish and maintain the security and oversight of pathogenic microorganisms and toxins.

Currently, the only exercise on transparency measures carried out within the framework of the Biological Weapons Convention is the voluntary annual information exchange on confidence building measures.

Protective suit for keeping biological weapons at bay. (Photo courtesy Pordecon)

The Biological Weapons Convention, unlike the Chemical Weapons Convention, does not contain provisions on the implementation of the Convention or on the establishment of an implementing organization.

In the face of serious disagreements on how to proceed after the collapse of negotiations on a legally binding protocol to strengthen the Convention, the conference decided last November that States Parties would meet annually until the next Review Conference in 2006. At these annual meetings they are to “discuss, and promote common understanding and effective action on” specific topics related to better implementation of the Convention.

Each of these annual meetings is to be preceded by a meeting of experts, with the current session preparing the way for a meeting from November 10 to 14.

Nongovernmental organizations are involved in strengthening the Convention through The BioWeapons Prevention Project (BWPP), a new initiative by likeminded groups aimed at strengthening the norm against using disease as a weapon. It is a global civil society activity that tracks governmental and other behavior under the treaties that codify this standard.

The BWPP is holding a seminar on national implementation legislation and biosafety on Wednesday in Geneva as a complement to the meeting of experts.

Jayantha Dhanapala of Sri Lanka, UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, last November outlined the problems facing the experts then and at their meeting this week. "The threat of use of biological weapons or bio-terrorism derives from the ease of access to biological agents and technology, as well as from the blurred border between peaceful and offensive uses of biotechnology," he said.

The Biological Weapons Convention, which opened for signature in 1972 and entered into force in 1975, is the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of weapons. It currently has 150 States Parties, with a further 16 having signed but not yet ratified.