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Successful Outcome of the 2017 BWC Meeting of States Parties
States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) gathered from 4 to 8 December 2017 for their annual meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. This Meeting of States Parties (MSP) was of particular importance. Given the inability of the Eighth Review Conference in November 2016 to agree on a new Intersessional Programme, the MSP was mandated to seek to make progress on issues of substance and process for the period before the Ninth Review Conference in 2021, with a view to reaching consensus on an intersessional process. Ambassador Amandeep Singh Gill of India chaired the meeting with Ambassador Michael Biontino of Germany and Ambassador Juraj Podhorský of Slovakia serving as the Vice-Chairs. The meeting was regarded as highly successful as States Parties agreed on the adoption of a substantive inter-sessional programme for the period 2018-2020.
As a result, each year there will be five Meetings of Experts with a total duration of eight days and a four-day MSP in order to discuss, and promote common understanding and effective action on cooperation and assistance; science and technology; national implementation; assistance, response and preparedness; and institutional strengthening of the Convention. As conveyed in a letter from the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) on 23 January 2018 to all States Parties and Signatories, the 2018 Meetings of Experts (MXs) will be held from 7 to 16 August 2018 and the Meeting of States Parties from 4 to 7 December 2018.
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Latest News for BWC States Parties
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State of Palestine joins the BWC
On 9 January 2018, the State of Palestine deposited its instrument of accession to the BWC with the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom, thereby becoming the 180th State Party.
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Chairperson of the 2018 Meeting of States Parties confirmed
On 1 February 2018, Mr. Ljupco Gjorgjinski, Chargé d’affaires of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, was formally confirmed as Chairperson of the 2018 BWC Meeting of States Parties. The nominations of the Vice-Chairs will be announced shortly.
On 20 February, the Chairman wrote to all States Parties. As indicated in the letter, a first round of consultations with regional groups is planned in March.
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Chairperson of the 2018 Meeting of Experts in Cooperation and Assistance (MX1) confirmed
On 22 February 2018, Ambassador Maria Teresa T. Almojuela of the Philippines was formally confirmed as Chairperson of the 2018 BWC Meeting of Experts on Cooperation and Assistance.
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Status of assessed contributions
The Financial Resources Management Service of the United Nations Office at Geneva has provided a summary of the financial contributions to the four disarmament conventions, as of 28 February 2018. Detailed information pertaining to the contributions to the BWC is contained in Annex II of the document.
The preliminary assessment per State Party for contributions to the BWC budget for the year 2018 can be found here. Formal invoices were sent to all BWC States Parties on 22 December 2017. The Eighth Review Conference requested States Parties to proceed with the payment of their share of the estimated costs as soon as the assessment notices have been received.
The ISU would like to express its appreciation to all those States Parties that have already paid their assessed contributions for 2018. Electronic copies of the invoices including the related Note Verbales can be obtained upon request from the ISU or via the restricted UNODA website.
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Status of CBMs
76 States Parties provided their confidence building measures for the 2016 calendar year, which represents the second highest number of submissions ever made. Find more information on the status of submissions and individual CBMs here.
On 3 March the ISU sent a reminder letter to States Parties that the deadline for the submissions of CBMs covering calendar year 2017 is 15 April 2018.
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New Article X Database
As mandated by the Eighth Review Conference, at the 2017 Meeting of States Parties the ISU introduced an improved Article X database. Based on inputs provided by several States Parties, the ISU developed a more user-friendly and comprehensive database to ensure that specific, timely and concrete offers of and requests for assistance can be provided by States Parties in the database.
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The BWC Team's Recent Activities
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Article VII/BWC Project Workshop held at GCSP, Geneva
On 27 and 28 February 2018, the ISU and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) co-organized a workshop on the development of an International Bio-Emergency Management Plan for Deliberate Events. 50 representatives from various entities of the UN Secretariat and relevant International Organizations attended the event. In developing such a plan, experts from the IAEA shared information about the Joint Radiation Emergency Plan (J-Plan), which serves as the relevant framework for international organizations in nuclear emergencies. The workshop also promoted discussions on human, animal and plant disease-related aspects. The Article VII project aims to strengthen international mechanisms and capabilities to respond to the use of biological weapons by state or non-state actors. It is funded by Canada, through its Global Partnership Program and coordinated by the BWC ISU.
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College of Europe visits ODA
On 26 February, Mr. Daniel Feakes, Chief of the BWC ISU briefed a group of 95 students from the College of Europe to Geneva about the BWC.
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University of London Students visits ODA
On 14 February 2018, Mr. Alex Lampalzer, Deputy Chief of the BWC ISU, briefed a group of 90 students from the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London about the BWC.
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ISU participated in the Global Partnership Working Group Meeting in Ottawa, Canada
Mr. Daniel Feakes, Chief of the BWC ISU, attended the Global Partnership meeting in Ottawa, Canda from 31 January to 2 February. In his presentation, he informed about the year ahead and engagement opportunities for the Global Partnership on BWC issues. Furthermore, Valeria Santori, project consultant presented progress made on the Article VII/BWC project.
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Wilton Park Conference on the Fourth CWC Review Conference and beyond
Mr. Daniel Feakes, Chief of the BWC ISU, attended a Wilton Park Conference on 'The CWC: The Fourth Review Conference and beyond' from 22 to 24 January 2018.
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ODA Visit by American College Programme/University of Fribourg
On 11 January 2018, students from the American College Programme visited UNODA in Geneva as part of their survey of international organizations. Mr. Alex Lampalzer from the BWC ISU provided an introduction on multilateral arms control including an overview about the BWC's provisions.
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Article VII/BWC expert meeting held at UN Headquarters New York
On 12 and 13 December 2017, the ISU organized an expert meeting at UN Headquarters in New York. Representatives from various entities of the UN Secretariat as well as experts from the IAEA, OPCW and WHO attended the event. The discussion focused on mechanisms and processes to trigger a request for assistance under Article VII of the BWC as well as what role the UN and other relevant international organizations would play in such a scenario.
On 13 December, UN Office for Counter-Terrorism organized a side-event which was opened by Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism. The side-event focused on the preparedness and response to a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incident/attack. Experts from Member States and International Organizations including staff of the ISU shared their experiences and discussed how the international community could better coordinate a response to a WMD attack.
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Malaysia/USA Workshop at the Palais des Nations
Nearly 50 delegations attended a workshop co-hosted by the Governments of Malaysia and the United States of America to hear presentations about global activities during the past year that strengthen the BWC. The purpose of the workshop was to inform States Parties about recent developments relating to national implementation, cooperation and assistance, preparedness and response, and science and technology; and to exchange ideas about their relevance to the Convention. Further information about the event can be found here. Ms. Valeria Santori, ISU project consultant described progress on the Article VII/BWC project.
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ISU at the Center for Security Studies in Zürich
On 22 November 2017, Mr. Alex Lampalzer, Deputy Chief BWC ISU, gave a presentation to 20 students from the life and associated sciences at the Center for Security Studies/ETH Zürich. The overall goal of the course entitled ‘The Dual-Use Dilemma in the Life Sciences’ was to provide the students with a critical perspective on their research. Several of the students also attended the opening of the 2017 Meeting of States Parties on 4 December 2017 including some of the side events.
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Introductory Workshop on the BWC held at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy
On 8 November 2017, the BWC ISU and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy co-organized an introductory workshop. More than 50 participants attended the event and the then Chairman, Amb. Amandeep Singh Gill presented his views on possible expectations from the meeting. A brief summary of the workshop as prepared by GCSP including the presentations can be accessed here.
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Legislative Workshop in Côte d'Ivoire in support of the national implementation of the BWC
On 7-8 November 2017, a legislative workshop took place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire in the framework of UNODA's implementation of EU Council Decision 2016/51 in support of the BWC. The objective of the workshop was to provide expert legislative assistance to the Ivorian authorities to make progress in drafting and adopting BWC implementation laws and regulations. Staff from the non-governmental organisation VERTIC partnered with UNODA to provide the required legislative expertise. The workshop focused specifically on reviewing the current draft law and draft regulation. It was attended by relevant officials from a number of ministries and departments, including the Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Animal Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Interior and Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene and the Ministry of Defence, among others. As an outcome, the relevant draft laws and regulations were thoroughly reviewed and a National Action Plan with concrete steps for the adoption of the texts was developed. Côte d'Ivoire is expected to adopt these texts later this year.
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Biosecurity Symposium and Training Course held in Qatar
The National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons (NCPW) of the State of Qatar has informed the ISU that it carried out two activities in 2017 to further strengthen the implementation of the BWC:
- ‘Symposium on the Prevention of Biological Weapons Proliferation and Biological Terrorism’ (3-4 April 2017); and
- ‘Training Workshop for Future Biological Weapons Monitoring Verification and Inspection of Inspectors’ in the State of Qatar (5-6 April 2017).
The events were held under the auspices of His Excellency Lt. Gen. Staff (Pilot) Ghanem Bin Shaheen Al Ghanem, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces in the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons and convened through the Doha Regional Centre for CBRN training. A summary of both events can be found here.
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Activities of the European Union Council Decision 2016/51 in support of the BWC
- UNODA's BWC Team is planning to conduct a universalisation visit to Haiti from 20 to 23 March to support the country's efforts to ratify the BWC
- On 16-17 April, Mexico will host a Regional Science and Technology Workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean, the second in a series of regional workshops to discuss science and technology developments
- On 8-9 May, Jordan will host the third in the science and technology workshop series, the Regional Science and Technology Workshop for the Middle East and North Africa
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Have you seen us on social?
Did you know the BWC ISU is active on social media? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for photos, interesting articles and relevant news about the BWC.
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Recent Publications of Interest
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This article provides an assessment of the 2017 Meeting of States parties.It highlights key positions expressed during the meeting and informs about the agreements reached with respect to the 2018-2020 intersessional programme.
'States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention successfully establish a new intersessional programme' by Maria Elena Amadori, VERTIC Trust & Verify Issue No.159, Winter 2018
The author analyses the outcome of the 2017 Meeting of States Parties and informs in detail about the 2018-2020 intersessional programme.
'The European Union and the Biological Weapons Convention - continued support and strategic renewal for global biosecurity' by Aurelie Buytaert, VERTIC Trust & Verify Issue No. 159, Winter 2018
This article provides a detailed analysis of the implementation of the current Council Decision 2016/51 in support of the BWC, which is framed in the wider context of the EU's Global Strategy from 2016.
'A Critical Analysis of the Scientific and Commercial Rationales fore the De Novo Synthesis of Horsepox Virus' by Gregory D. Koblentz, mSPhere, March/April 2018, Volume 3, Issue 2.
This article evaluates the scientific and commercial rationales for the synthesis of horsepox virus. I find that the claimed benefits of using horsepox virus as a smallpox vaccine rest on a weak scientific foundation and an even weaker business case that this project will lead to a licensed medical countermeasure. The combination of questionable benefits and known risks of this dual use research raises serious questions about the wisdom of undertaking research that could be used to recreate variola virus. This analysis also raises important questions about the propriety of a private company sponsoring such dual use research without appropriate oversight and highlights an important gap in United States dual use research regulations.
'New pathogen research riles: Gain of function, loss of clarity' by Gregory D. Koblentz and Lynn C. Klotz, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The authors analyze the Department of Health and Human Service's new rules on funding research with enhanced potential pandemic pathogens, formerly known as "gain of function" research. The article provides an initial assessment of the areas that deserve further scrutiny—and possibly revision—in order to strengthen oversight of this important field of research.
Biosecurity Insight 01/2018- Newsletter by the Danish Centre for Biosecurity and Biopreparedness
CBB, the Danish Centre for Biosecurity and Bioperparedness has published 'Biosecurity Insight'. The overall aim of publishing the newsletter is to strengthen the global network of biosecurity and biopreparedness professionals, by providing solid knowledge and inspiring news on the status and development of global biosecurity and biopreparedness. Persons interested in subscribing should send an email to CBB@ssi.dk.
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Staff News
Ms Maria Elena Amadori concluded her internship with the ISU on 21 December 2017.
Please note that the BWC Team has moved offices:
- Daniel Feakes: C127;
- Alex Lampalzer, Ngoc Phuong van der Blij: C119;
- Ana Izar, Hydee Colina: C111;
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