BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION MEETING OF STATES PARTIES CONCLUDES IN GENEVA

States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) have concluded the 2009 Meeting of States Parties which was held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 7 to 11 December. This year’s meeting, chaired by Ambassador Marius Grinius of Canada, developed and consolidated the work of the Meeting of Experts (24-28 August) in order to 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.”

Welcoming the report adopted by the Meeting on 11 December, the Chairman said, “I am convinced that it will be a useful and practical resource for states in need of building capacity in disease surveillance, enhancing international cooperation, assistance and exchange in biological sciences and technology. I am sure that this document will stand the test of time and act as a useful bridge to the next review conference.” The Chairman went on to say that the work of the Meeting illustrated that “States Parties take all their responsibilities under this Convention seriously and that a treaty that deals with biological weapons can also contribute to our efforts to deal with disease.”

In addition to representatives from 100 States Parties to the Convention, participants included an increasing number of interested observer states, representatives from international organizations, and representatives from non-governmental organizations.

The Meeting agreed on the value of States Parties working together to promote capacity building in the fields of disease surveillance, detection, diagnosis and containment, and affirmed that building such capacity would directly support the objectives of the BWC. The Meeting agreed on the importance of developing effective infrastructure and human resources for disease surveillance, detection, diagnosis and containment, and of ensuring the sustainability of such capacities by tailoring assistance programs to the needs of recipient countries and ensuring long term ownership and involvement by relevant stake holders in those countries.

The Meeting also agreed on the value of improving integration of capacity-building activities so that scarce resources are used effectively to combat disease irrespective of its cause, and on the importance of ensuring that there is effective coordination among relevant activities to minimise duplication and ensure a more comprehensive approach to building capacity.
While recognizing the range of bilateral, regional and multilateral assistance, cooperation and partnerships already in place, the Meeting also recognized that there remain challenges to be overcome in developing international cooperation, assistance and exchange in biological sciences and technology for peaceful purposes to their full potential, and that addressing such challenges would help States Parties to build sufficient capacity for disease surveillance, detection, diagnosis and containment.

The Meeting appointed the Chair of the 2010 meetings of the BWC, Ambassador Carlos Portales of Chile, and decided to hold the Meeting of Experts from 23 to 27 August 2010 and the Meeting of States Parties from 6 to 10 December 2010.

The Meeting of States Parties is the third of a four-year intersessional process 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 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 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
Fax: +41 (0)22 917 04 83
E-mail: rlennane@unog.ch
URL : www.unog.ch/bwc


For use of information media; not an official record

DC09062E