Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC)

The use of chemical and biological weapons in war was prohibited in 1925 as a result of universal abhorrence at their effects on First World War soldiers. The 1972 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their destruction (BWC), which entered into force in 1975, prohibited the development, production, stockpiling or acquisition of biological and toxin weapons and required the destruction or conversion of such weapons or delivery means. At time of writing, the BWC has 153 states parties. A further 16 have signed but not ratified, while 25 remain outside the treaty.

The BWC broke new ground in establishing a non-discriminatory prohibition regime, making no distinction between states with existing BW programmes and those without, and explicitly building on the 1925 prohibition on use. However, it contained no provisions for the monitoring or verification of compliance or implementation.

The end of the cold war provided the opportunity to negotiate a verification protocol, but in 2001, after six years of painstaking technical and diplomatic work, negotiations collapsed without agreement after the United States first weakened the verification provisions and then scuppered agreement on the Protocol, arguing that verification would be inadequate and overly intrusive.

Coverage in Disarmament Diplomacy

• Midpoint between Review Conferences: Next Steps to Strengthen the BWC, by Nicholas A. Sims, Disarmament Diplomacy, Issue No.91, Summer 2009

• Bringing Biologists on Board: Report from the 2008 Meeting of BWC Experts, by Kathryn McLaughlin, Disarmament Diplomacy, Issue No.89, Winter 2008

• Reaching a Tipping Point: Strengthening BWC Confidence-Building Measures, by Filippa Lentzos, Disarmament Diplomacy, Issue No.89, Winter 2008

BWC Meeting of States Parties, 1 - 5 December 2008

For reporting on this meeting see the BioWeapons Prevention Project.

BWC Meeting of Experts (MX), 18 - 22 August 2008

At the 6th Review Conference of the BWC in 2006, States Parties agreed a work programme for 2007–10 to lay the groundwork for substantive improvement of the BTWC subsequent to the 7th Review Conference in 2011. The first Meeting of Experts was held from 20 to 24 August 2007; the first Meeting of States Parties from 10-14 December 2007.

The second Meeting of Experts takes place this week in Geneva. The reports below are written and produced by the BioWeapons Prevention Project and with support from the Acronym Institute.

Reports from Geneva

• The 2008 Meeting of Experts: The Final Day, MX Report No.6, by Richard Guthrie, Monday 25 August 2008. Also available in pdf format.
• The 2008 Meeting of Experts: The Fourth Day, MX Report No.5, by Richard Guthrie, Thursday 21 August 2008. Also available in pdf format.
• The 2008 Meeting of Experts: The Third Day, MX Report No.4, by Richard Guthrie, Thursday 21 August 2008. Also available in pdf format.
• The 2008 Meeting of Experts: The Second Day, MX Report No.3, by Richard Guthrie, Wednesday 20 August 2008. Also available in pdf format.
• The 2008 Meeting of Experts: The Opening Day, MX Report No.2, by Richard Guthrie, Tuesday 19 August 2008. Also available in pdf format.
• The 2008 Meeting of Experts: Biosecurity and Education, MX Report No.1, by Richard Guthrie, Monday 18 August 2008. Also available in pdf format.

Further information on the meeting is available from the BioWeapons Prevention Project website at www.bwpp.org/2008MX/MX2008Resources.html.

Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) Meeting of Experts, August 2007

• Representation from the Trenches: Ongoing Monitoring for Implementing the BWC
  By Filippa Lentzos, Pre-publication draft, due to be published by the Acronym Institute in Disarmament Diplomacy No.85. Also available as a pdf file.

This paper provides detailed examples of different oversight mechanisms that states parties might find helpful in identifying gaps in their existing national oversight frameworks. It concludes with a discussion on the roles of statutory and voluntary/self-governance mechanisms for life science oversight, arguing that while statutory mechanisms are requisite to effective oversight, informal monitoring systems also play a critical role.

Background Information

• The 2006 BWC Review Conference: The President’s Reflections
  by Masood Khan, Disarmament Diplomacy, No.84, Spring 2007
  The President of the Sixth Biological and Toxin Weapons Review Conference reflects on the factors that contributed to a significant success, with lessons for future multilateral diplomacy.
  
• Rising Out of the Doldrums: Report on the BWC Review Conference
  by Richard Guthrie, Disarmament Diplomacy, No.84, Spring 2007
  From the author of daily reports during the BWC conference, a detailed assessment of the conduct and outcome, with annexes on the proposed (but unadopted) Action Plans and civil society contributions.
  
• A Counter-Bioterrorism Strategy for the new UN Secretary-General
  by Barbara Hatch Rosenberg, Disarmament Diplomacy, No.84, Spring 2007
  Argues for new multilateral approaches for dealing with bioterrorism, including reorganisation and resourcing of the UN Secretary-General's investigational capability to strengthen BWC compliance.
  
• Strategies to Prevent Bioterrorism: Biosecurity Policies in the US and Germany, by Jonathan B. Tucker, Disarmament Diplomacy, No.84, Spring 2007
  A detailed comparison of US and German approaches for addressing biosecurity in the age of international terrorism, drawing out the strengths and weaknesses.
• Towards the BWC Review Conference:
  Diplomacy Still in the Doldrums
  by Nicholas A. Sims, Disarmament Diplomacy, Issue No.82, Spring 2006.
  Reports back from the December meeting of BWC parties and looks ahead to the challenges and opportunities facing the Sixth BWC Review Conference.
  
• Practical Steps to Accelerate BWC Universality
  by Daniel Feakes, Disarmament Diplomacy, Issue No.82, Spring 2006.
  Considers the obstacles to universality and proposes ways forward for the BWC

For past coverage BWC-related issues, please see our BWC archive page.

Useful Information and Links

• UN Department of Disarmament Affairs, for text of the BWC, relevant UN General Assembly resolutions, and official documentation from the previous Review Conference in December 1996
• Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, for extensive background information and research on Biological Weapons

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