Disarmament Diplomacy

Issue No. 74, December 2003

In the News

BWC Meeting Adopts Minimal Report

The first meeting of states parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention after the Fifth Review Conference, chaired by Ambassador Tibór Tóth of Hungary, met in Geneva from November 10-14, 2003. The meeting, which was attended by 92 out of the 151 BWC states parties, was prepared by an earlier 'Meeting of Experts', as part of an experimental review process established by the reconvened session of the Fifth BWC Review Conference (November 11-15, 2002). The meeting agreed that South Africa (Peter Goosen) would chair the 2004 sessions. After intensive and often difficult discussions, the meeting adopted a brief report. Part I gave procedural information. Part II, containing the agreed (if somewhat minimal) substance was as follows:

"The Meeting of States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention convened from 10 to 14 November 2003 to discuss, and promote common understanding and effective action on:

- the adoption of necessary national measures to implement the prohibitions set forth in the Convention, including the enactment of penal legislation; and

- national mechanisms to establish and maintain the security and oversight of pathogenic microorganisims and toxins.

This meeting was prepared by a Meeting of Experts held from 18-29 August 2003, where measures relevant to the agenda items were discussed in detail. Eighty-three States Parties participated in the Meeting of Experts, which included two Annexes containing submitted working papers, and presentations, statements, and contributions made available to the Chairman.

At the Meeting of States Parties, States Parties noted that notwithstanding the differing legal and constitutional arrangements among the 151 States Parties to the Convention, States have adopted similar basic approaches and share common principles. The States Parties stressed the need for undertaking activities at the national level in keeping with their obligations and responsibilities to strengthen and implement the Convention. The States Parties agreed, to that end, on the value of the following:

To review, and where necessary, enact or update national legal, including regulatory and penal, measures which ensure effective implementation of the prohibition of the Convention, and which enhance effective security of pathogens and toxins.
The positive effect of cooperation between States Parties with differing legal and constitutional arrangements. States Parties in a position to do so may wish to provide legal and technical assistance to others who request it in framing and/or expanding their own legislation and controls in the areas of national implementation and biosecurity.
The need for comprehensive and concrete national measures to secure pathogen collections and the control of their use for peaceful purposes. There was a general recognition of the value of biosecurity measures and procedures, which will ensure that such dangerous materials are not accessible to persons who might or could misuse them for purposes contrary to the Convention.

States Parties considered that agreement on the value of these measures discussed at the Meeting constitutes an essential effort to facilitate more effective implementation and enforcement of the Convention, as well as providing a basis for review of progress at the 2006 Review Conference."

The date of the next Meeting of Experts will be July 19-30, and the next Meeting of States Parties is scheduled for December 6-10, 2004.

Rebecca Johnson

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