Experts to Discuss Biological Weapons Ban

Biological weapons experts are expected to meet in Geneva, Switzerland, for five days beginning Monday to discuss new strategies for implementing the Biological Weapons Convention, the United Nations announced yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 11, 2006).

The “meeting of experts” is expected to consider two topics:  strengthening countries’ implementation of the pact through enforced legislation, improved national institutions and coordination by law enforcement agencies; and regional and subregional collaboration on treaty implementation.

The meeting will mark the first phase of a four-part program agreed to at the 2006 Sixth Review Conference of nations that have signed the Biological Weapons Convention.  The program aims to improve enforcement of the treaty’s provisions and make it more effective in preventing biological weapons development.

The program is intended to build on the work done in a similar phased plan that ran from 2003 to 2005 in which nations discussed measures to implement the convention’s requirements, respond to biological weapons attacks and other biological threats, and to establish international guidelines for scientists who work with biological agents.

The 2006 conference also established an implementation support unit, expected to be launched Monday, and approved measures aimed at increasing involvement in the convention’s transparency measures and increasing the number of BWC member states (U.N. release, Aug. 16).

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