Biological weapons convention. Medical search. Frequent questions

The BWC sought to supplement the Geneva Protocol and was negotiated in the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva from 1969 to 1972, following the conclusion of the negotiation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. (wikipedia.org)
The Biological Weapons Convention is a treaty written in 1972 that prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, and stockpiling of biological weapons. (scoville.org)
And we did so: the 1972 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction , or Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) for short, which entered into force in 1975. (ahrp.org)
The FCO published the Green Paper to solicit the views of Members of Parliament, NGOs, other organisations and individuals with an interest in the subject of strengthening the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). (royalsociety.org)
Biological science and technology has advanced exponentially since the signing of the Convention in 1972. (unoda.org)
Producing biological weapons with predictable, significant effects - as opposed to crude opportunistic efforts to spread pathogens - remains a complex feat. Most of the world's nations eventually renounced these capabilities and joined the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) . (unidir.org)
This year, the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) - a cornerstone of international humanitarian law and the first disarmament treaty to ban an entire class of weapons - will undertake its Eighth Review Conference. (the-trench.org)
The award honors Meselson's leading role in the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), an international treaty that not only affirmed the existing ban on the use of biological weapons, but also banned the production, stockpiling, and offensive research into biological weapons. (belfercenter.org)

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), or Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), is a disarmament treaty that effectively bans biological and toxin weapons by prohibiting their development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use. (wikipedia.org)
The treaty's full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction. (wikipedia.org)
We strongly believe that international treaties, including the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), are essential instruments for protecting human life and dignity anywhere in the world. (paxchristiusa.org)
Following pointed reminders that Nixon had not eschewed the use of toxins, in February 1970 Nixon announced we would also get rid of our toxin weapons also, which included snake, snail, frog, fish, bacterial, and fungal toxins that could be used for assassinations and other purposes. (ahrp.org)
1 The session was called: The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) - Maintaining Relevance. (idsa.in)
This is the Royal Societys response to the Green Paper Strengthening the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention: Countering the Threat from Biological Weapons, published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the British Government in April 2002. (royalsociety.org)
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction", the Convention was negotiated by the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland. (advocatetanmoy.com)
Speaking at the UNSC briefing recently, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, stressed that it is important to ensure implementation of BTWC (Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention) in letter and spirit. (believersias.com)
Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention is a disarmament treaty that restricts biological and toxin weapons by prohibiting their production, distribution and proliferation of the biological and toxin weapons. (believersias.com)
Due to the nature of the biological and toxin weapons, it can be dangerous to the entire globe. (believersias.com)
So without global consensus and an order over the possession of the biological and toxin weapons it would be a great threat to humanity. (believersias.com)
The Global Forum on Scientific Advances Important to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention , organised by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security on 3 December, provided further in-depth insights into examples of current advancements in biology and biotechnology and their impact on bioweapons non-proliferation policy. (reachingcriticalwill.org)
VEREX: Created in September 1991 during the Third Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), VEREX was tasked with identifying measures that could be used to determine whether a state party to the BTWC is 'developing, producing, stockpiling, acquiring, or retaining' biological weapons (BW). (nti.org)
It has not signed the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. (dissidentvoice.org)
Some of Nixon's advisors believed that the United States should retain the right to use artificially synthesized versions of naturally-derived toxins as weapons while renouncing the use of natural-toxin weapons. (belfercenter.org)
Another of Meselson's policy papers, "What Policy for Toxins," persuaded Nixon to reject this distinction and to renounce the use of all toxin weapons. (belfercenter.org)
To achieve this, we should rethink the CWC and merge it with the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC). (nature.com)

Following the failure in December last year of the States Parties to agree on the text of a Protocol to the Convention, renewed efforts have been made to find ways of making the BTWC more effective. (royalsociety.org)
The Green Paper discusses UK priorities and the next steps ahead of the reconvened BTWC Fifth Review Conference in November 2002, and invites comments on the outlined proposals and any other ideas for strengthening the Convention. (royalsociety.org)
It is unclear at present how the proposal by China and Pakistan for an Aspirational (Ethical) Code under the BTWC will be taken forward through to the 9th Review Conference of the Convention in 2022. (idsa.in)
Within the context of the BTWC, biological security education and awareness are considered essential to strengthening the full and effective implementation of the Convention. (idsa.in)

It has taken over 40 years, but in 2022 all declared stocks of chemical weapons had been destroyed by the USA, by Russia, and the other 191 member nation signatories. (ahrp.org)
This Formal Consultative Meeting mechanism, which has only been used once before in the history of the BWC, was invoked on June 29, 2022, through Russia's triggering of BWC Article V . This invocation served as a further escalation and platform for the Russian Federation's continued promotion of false allegations of U.S.-backed biological weapons laboratories located in countries like Ukraine. (councilonstrategicrisks.org)
A delegation from ICGEB participated in the 9th Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), in Geneva, Switzerland in November of 2022. (icgeb.org)
On 29 November, 2022 Ms. Marianna Maculan, ICGEB Chief, External Relations delivered a statement on behalf of ICGEB Director-General Dr. Lawrence Banks at the 9th Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), in Geneva, Switzerland, hosted by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). (icgeb.org)

Article X of the Convention calls for the "fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials and scientific and technological information for the use of bacteriological (biological) agents and toxins for peaceful purposes. (bwc1972.org)
The consequences of the deliberate release of biological agents or toxins by state or non-state actors could be dramatic. (believersias.com)
Although the Convention is uniquely broad and bans "microbial or other biological agents, or toxins, whatever their origin or method of production," its States Parties have recognised the importance of staying informed about relevant advances in science and technology. (unoda.org)
The Conference declared that the Convention is comprehensive in its scope and that all naturally or artificially created or altered microbial and other biological agents and toxins, as well as their components, regardless of their origin and method of production and whether they affect humans, animals or plants, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes, are unequivocally covered by Article I. (unoda.org)
Toxins can be small molecules , peptides , or proteins that are capable of causing disease on contact with or absorption by body tissues interacting with biological macromolecules such as enzymes or cellular receptors . (wikipedia.org)
Toxins are often distinguished from other chemical agents strictly based on their biological origin. (wikipedia.org)
There are numerous other instances of the use of plant toxins, venoms, and other poisonous substances to create biological weapons in antiquity. (wikipedia.org)
The BWC is the lynchpin of global efforts to ensure that disease or toxins are never used as a weapon. (the-trench.org)
Events over the past 15 years have resulted in the promulgation of regulations in the United States to enhance biosecurity by restricting the access to pathogens and toxins (i.e., biological select agents and toxins [BSATs]), which pose a severe threat to human being, animal, or plant health or to animal or plant products, to qualified institutions, laboratories, and scientists. (cdc.gov)
Recent events have changed the manner in which scientists acquire and work with pathogenic microorganisms and biological toxins (Morse and Weirich, 2011 ). (cdc.gov)
Changes in how scientists conduct research on biological select agents and toxins (BSATs) have occurred not only in the United States (U.S.) but internationally as well. (cdc.gov)

First, having been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of biological threats (albeit naturally occurring ones) was front of mind for everyone. (scoville.org)
Anyone participating in meetings on science and technology review, developments in industrial capacities, new production processes and technologies hears a lot of anxiety and a lot of talk of threats to the convention or possible weakening of the norm. (idsa.in)
This review would include "fail-safe" steps to strengthen safeguards against cyber threats and against unauthorized, inadvertent, or accidental use of a nuclear weapon. (nti.org)
Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on nuclear and biological threats. (nti.org)
Her research is broadly focused on biological threats and biosecurity. (kcl.ac.uk)
Controlling biological warfare threats: Resolving potential tensions among the research community, industry, and the national security community. (nationalacademies.org)
Bring biological threats into the treaty and make chemists more aware of the dark side of their research, says Leiv K. Sydnes. (nature.com)
A significant part of our mission is to confront, mitigate, and wherever possible prevent biological threats, which are evolving rapidly, especially with advancements in science and technology and increased globalization. (state.gov)
Strengthening global health security is instrumental in our collective effort to prevent, detect, and respond to biological threats and infectious disease outbreaks, regardless of whether they are naturally occurring, or accidently or deliberately spread. (state.gov)
An effective and constant real-time surveillance capability is crucial for protecting the public from biological threats. (cdc.gov)
Biological threats can be intentional (e.g., resulting from biowarfare or bioterrorism) or unintentional (e.g., resulting from accidental release or emerging infectious diseases) ( 1 , 2 ). (cdc.gov)
Develop triggers for sharing information on biological threats or other incidents of concern (such as chemical and radiological) with relevant multisectoral agencies. (who.int)
Establish an informal or formal communications process to share information, based on identified triggers, related to biological threats or other incidents of concern (such as chemical and radiological) among relevant multisectoral agencies (such as public health, animal health and security authorities). (who.int)
Develop and disseminate advocacy material to raise awareness of staff in relevant sectors about their role for the management of biological threats or other incidents of concern (such as chemical and radiological). (who.int)
Identify appropriate activities (such as notifications, assessments, investigation, laboratory testing) for response to biological threats or other incidents of concern (such as chemical and radiological), which will be covered by a written protocol or MoU between sectors. (who.int)
Determine sample collection, transport, storage, security and testing requirements among relevant sectors (such as public health, security authorities, agriculture) for biological threats and other incidents of concern (such as chemical and radiological). (who.int)

While Article I of the BWC codifies the customary law prohibition against weaponizing biological material or pathogens, the agreement does not necessarily cover the development or employment of biomimetics, a dangerous subclass of SynBio. (synthetic.com)
Second , states need to strengthen the international prohibition against biological weapons. (unidir.org)
This is a multilateral treaty that requires, within a certain timeframe, the ultimate destruction of chemical weapons and the prohibition of development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons. (armscontrol.org)
Analyses from the past five years will show that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has done an outstanding job. (nature.com)

Having entered into force on 26 March 1975, the BWC was the first multilateral disarmament treaty to ban the production of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. (wikipedia.org)
Nixon told the world that the US would initiate an international treaty to prevent the use of these weapons ever again. (ahrp.org)
The Biological Weapons Convention established conferences to be held every 5 years to strengthen the treaty. (ahrp.org)
Lying " at the edge of life ," viruses likely were not banned as a biological weapon until they were defined as a biological agent in 1969, more than 40 years after the first multilateral treaty prohibited biological warfare. (synthetic.com)
No country in the world has officially declared to possess a biological weapon is a testament to the success of the treaty. (believersias.com)
The Review Conference, which is held every five years, is a critical mechanism of the treaty for both planning the next five years of the institution, as well as potentially propelling major policy advances to address biological weapons issues. (councilonstrategicrisks.org)
There remain, however, serious challenges to this norm and to the treaty, and we can neither afford to be complacent nor fail to make full use of the opportunity presented by the Eighth Review Conference to ensure that the Biological Weapons Convention meets the needs and challenges of the modern world. (the-trench.org)
This was the first multilateral disarmament treaty that banned the development, production, and stockpiling of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. (armscontrol.org)
This treaty prohibits Latin American states from not only acquiring and possessing nuclear weapons, but also from allowing the storage or deployment of nuclear weapons on their territories by other states. (armscontrol.org)
This treaty is the basis of international cooperation on stopping the spread of nuclear weapons by promoting disarmament, nonproliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. (armscontrol.org)
Abolition 2000: Founded in 1995 during the NPT Review and Extension Conference, Abolition 2000 is an international non-governmental global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons within a time-bound framework. (nti.org)
The Treaty on the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone, also known as the Treaty of Pelindaba , was opened for signature in Cairo in April 1996. (nti.org)
For additional information, see the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone Treaty . (nti.org)
It has signed but not ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, similarly the Chemical Weapons Convention. (dissidentvoice.org)
The 1925 Geneva Protocol, an international treaty that the United States had never ratified, did prohibit the use of chemical and biological weapons in international conflicts. (belfercenter.org)
Next, Meselson and his peers wanted an international legally-binding treaty that was more stringent than the Geneva Protocol-one that would provide for a verification system as well as prohibiting offensive research and stockpiling of biological weapons. (belfercenter.org)
From 8-19 April, representatives of the 188 nations that signed and ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) will meet in The Hague, the Netherlands, to review the treaty for the third time. (nature.com)

Furthermore, no existing international entity dedicates its top priority to reducing emerging biological risks associated with technology advances-a gap that the International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS) will fill. (nti.org)
The Virtual Biosecurity Center (VBC) is a global multi-organizational initiative spearheaded by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) committed to countering the threat posed by the development or use of biological weapons and the responsible use of science and technology. (virtualbiosecuritycenter.org)
They also provide important information on select agents, the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention and new approaches to biosecurity. (fas.org)
For example, several countries have developed and implemented laboratory biosecurity legislation to regulate possession, use and access to biological agents while other countries use existing biosafety legislation for pathogen security. (cdc.gov)

Article II: To destroy or divert to peaceful purposes biological weapons and associated resources prior to joining. (wikipedia.org)
Undertaking to destroy biological weapons or divert them to peaceful purposes. (advocatetanmoy.com)
The reports will also show that all known chemical-weapons production facilities have been deactivated or converted for peaceful purposes. (nature.com)

All activities implemented by WHO on prevention, preparedness and response to natural, accidental or deliberate releases of biological, chemical and radiological agents involve the closest possible coordination with relevant national and international organizations. (who.int)
A deliberate release of biological, chemical or radiological agent would likely be considered initially as a natural event, unless the agent had been spread overtly or on a massive scale, and may prove difficult to distinguish from a naturally occurring disease event. (who.int)
Assess risk of significant biological (and chemical or radiological) incidents of concern to the country. (who.int)
They cover not only certain diseases but also biological (zoonotic, food safety and other infectious hazards), chemical, radiological or nuclear hazards. (who.int)
First Responders should use a NIOSH-certified Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) with a Level A protective suit when entering an area with an unknown contaminant or when entering an area where the concentration of the contaminant is unknown. (cdc.gov)
They cover focal point, ministries of environment and civil defence not only certain diseases but also biological (zoonotic, food and protection--took part in country presentations, panel safety and other infectious hazards), chemical, radiological discussions and working groups. (who.int)

While the history of biological warfare goes back more than six centuries to the siege of Caffa in 1346, international restrictions on biological warfare began only with the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which prohibits the use but not the possession or development of chemical and biological weapons. (wikipedia.org)
SIPRI Chemical & Biological Warfare Studies is a series of studies intended primarily for specialists in the field of CBW arms control and for people engaged in other areas of international relations or security affairs whose work could benefit from a deeper understanding of particular CBW matters. (sipri.org)
But in 1973 genetic engineering (recombinant DNA) was discovered by Americans Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen, which changed the biological warfare calculus. (ahrp.org)
And employing new verbiage to shield this effort from scrutiny, biological warfare research was renamed as "gain-of-function" research. (ahrp.org)
Notwithstanding, in its almost twenty years of existence, war and terrorism in the Middle East accounts for about 2,000 fatalities as a direct consequence of chemical warfare and terrorism with chemical weapons (CW). (idsa.in)
While today viruses are considered to be an infectious biological agent and are categorically banned as a method of warfare, some types of synthetic biology (SynBio) may pose a similar dilemma and yet may not be covered by the same restrictions. (synthetic.com)
First, most public health and biological warfare experts agree it is crucial to build and empower mechanisms for collaborative, coordinated disease surveillance, detection, reporting and response. (unidir.org)
The use of bees as guided biological weapons was described in Byzantine written sources, such as Tactica of Emperor Leo VI the Wise in the chapter On Naval Warfare. (wikipedia.org)
Indeed, in February this year the World Economic Forum named biological weapons as one of the top three technologies that will negatively transform warfare. (the-trench.org)

Dana Perkins, PhD Chief of the Biological Weapons Nonproliferation and Counterterrorism Branch, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (virtualbiosecuritycenter.org)
Throughout these bureaus, several programmatic offices lead the State Department's weapons of mass destruction threat reduction and nonproliferation foreign assistance and capacity building programs. (state.gov)
Last, but certainly not least, we are working to build and strengthen our collective approach to key multilateral nonproliferation regimes, such as the Biological Weapons Convention, the Australia Group, and the UN Security Council Resolution 1540. (state.gov)

Active defenses use weapon systems or countermeasures to defend against an attack. (nti.org)
Early detection of a biological threat is critical not only for identifying the threat organism but also for implementing appropriate countermeasures to save and protect the victims and prevent further infection and for decontaminating and reclamating the affected environment and infrastructures. (cdc.gov)
Following the implementation of these regulations, Casadevall and Relman ( 2010 ) proposed that the policies may have the unintended consequence of hindering necessary research on countermeasures and potentially increasing societal vulnerability to biological attacks and natural epidemics. (cdc.gov)

In the process the emphasis on Israel's nuclear, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction was mysteriously lost. (dissidentvoice.org)

In particular, it did not prevent multiple states from starting and scaling offensive biological weapons programs, including the United States (active from 1943 to 1969) and the Soviet Union (active from the 1920s until at least 1992). (wikipedia.org)
The American biowarfare system was terminated in 1969 by President Nixon when he issued his Statement on Chemical and Biological Defense Policies and Programs. (wikipedia.org)
The negotiations gained further momentum when the United States decided to unilaterally end its offensive biological weapons program in 1969 and support the British proposal. (wikipedia.org)

The participants of the Second Review Conference of the parties to the Biological Weapons Convention agreed on instituting voluntary confidence-building measures (CBMs) to strengthen the Convention. (sipri.org)

The Nuclear Threat Initiative is participating in the 2023 Munich Security Conference (MSC) where NTI Co-Chair and CEO Ernest J. Moniz , along with members of the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group (EASLG), is hosting an official side event and releasing a statement calling on all nuclear-weapons states to undertake global nuclear "fail-safe" measures to reduce the risk of nuclear blunder. (nti.org)
2004. Historical Precedence and Technical Requirements of Â- Biological W Â- eapons Use: A Threat Assessment. (nationalacademies.org)

About 78% of the declared chemical-weapons stockpile has been destroyed, and this is expected to rise to 99% by 2017. (nature.com)
Bashar al Assad inherited a huge stockpile of chemical weapons with production, manufacturing, storage and research facilities scattered over Damascus, Homs, Hama, Latakia and Aleppo. (idsa.in)

They often point to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) as a strong agreement because it has an international organisation, a verification regime and mechanisms to enforce compliance. (idsa.in)

Third, the United Nations needs geographically representative teams of trained, technically competent experts capable of investigating biological weapons allegations and suspicious outbreaks of disease - even on the territories of the Security Council's permanent five members, if necessary. (unidir.org)
The existing capacity for surveillance of and response to biological disease outbreaks has evolved well during more than 10 years. (who.int)

The statement ended, unconditionally, all U.S. offensive biological weapons programs. (wikipedia.org)
Offensive biological research itself was prohibited, and existing biological weapons stockpiles were destroyed. (belfercenter.org)

Requirement to take any national measures necessary to prohibit and prevent the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition or retention of biological weapons within a State's territory, under its jurisdiction, or under its control. (advocatetanmoy.com)
183 States have ratified the BWC, which prohibits the development, production, acquisition and use of biological weapons. (unidir.org)

He sidesteps the taboo subject of Israel's hundreds of nuclear warheads, which have never been subject to international safeguards, while he and his colleagues enjoy their sport of punishing Iran, which is properly signed up to the NPT and has no nuclear weapons. (dissidentvoice.org)
Syria acquired the capability to produce chemical weapons in order to counter Israel's chemical weapons program. (idsa.in)

This desk was to be my home for the next three weeks as I watched the Ninth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention unfold. (scoville.org)
The Eighth Review Conference in 2016 reaffirmed the importance of Article I, as it defines the scope of the Convention. (unoda.org)
The Eighth Review Conference also reaffirmed that "Article I applies to all scientific and technological developments in the life sciences and in other fields of science relevant to the Convention. (unoda.org)
This Formal Consultative Meeting provides a potential foreshadowing of what may occur as countries prepare for the Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention through late November and December of this year. (councilonstrategicrisks.org)
2006. Sixth Review Conference of the States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention. (nationalacademies.org)

First, advances in science and technology could pose risks which could lead to potential breaches of the Convention. (unoda.org)
The goals of this panel discussion are to raise awareness about emerging biological risks and the implications for international security, explore how the new IBBIS initiative can offer practical solutions to address this challenge, and identify actions that public- and private-sector leaders can take to reduce the risk of misuse of the tools of modern bioscience and biotechnology. (nti.org)
This is unacceptable given how biological risks are rising. (councilonstrategicrisks.org)
The Conference was in the context of a project conducted by the BWC on reducing biological risks by promoting the peaceful use of biology. (icgeb.org)
The small-scale production of chemical weapons by activists and terrorists is also beyond the scope of the CWC, and these risks are growing. (nature.com)

It is now 2023, and during the 48 years the Biological Weapons Convention has been in force the wall it was supposed to build against the development, production, and use of biological weapons has been steadily eroded. (ahrp.org)
X of the Convention, ICGEB and the Implementation Support Unit of the BWC are currently crafting a capacity-building scheme to be initiated in 2023. (icgeb.org)

Besides addressing disarmament and security issues, the BWC also supports the promotion of the peaceful uses of biological science and technology and thereby helps to prevent the global spread of diseases. (unoda.org)
One of the earliest recorded uses of biological weapons dates back to the 6th century B.C., when Persian armies poisoned wells with a fungus. (cdc.gov)

Such material may be weaponized into nonbiological agents that alter biological organisms, challenging the very definition of "biological material. (synthetic.com)
In its final report of September 24, 1993, VEREX described and analyzed 21 such measures, including but not limited to declarations of biological agents, on-site inspections, and multilateral information sharing. (nti.org)
Because aerosols are a means for delivering chemical and biological agents, they can play an important role in weaponizing these substances. (nti.org)
During the past two decades, Member States have on several occasions expressed concerns about the possibility that biological and chemical agents might deliberately be used to harm populations. (who.int)
An alert about the risk of such agents being used as weapons usually comes from a nation's security or defence sectors. (who.int)
The scenarios used by some health ministries for planning have included the release of combinations of biological and chemical agents, simultaneous release in more than one location, and/or use of unknown chemicals or genetically modified organisms. (who.int)
This global network provides access to technical expertise for alerting, verifying and responding to disease-causing biological and chemical agents. (who.int)
The United States excludes these agents from the 1925 Geneva Convention banning other chemical and biological weapons. (medscape.com)
Destruction of U.S. stockpiles of chemical agents, including sulfur mustards, was mandated by the Chemical Weapons Convention to take place before April 2007. (cdc.gov)

Despite international efforts in the 1990s, it still has no effective provision to assess compliance or investigate allegations of biological weapons development . (unidir.org)
This concern is also shared by UN Secretary-General Guterres, who, in his recently published report Current developments in science and technology and their potential impact on international security and disarmament efforts cautions that these developments could undermine the norm against biological weapons. (reachingcriticalwill.org)

Progress may take the form of further increasing the capacity of the BWC's Implementation Support Unit, developing more robust measures for how states can cooperate and work toward addressing emergent biological events, and working on better mechanisms for assessing dual-use and biological weapons-related issues rising from advances in the life sciences and emergent and evolving technologies and disciplines. (councilonstrategicrisks.org)

During the conference, States Parties will assess the status of the convention and should agree on effective means to better improve the fight against the use of these universally condemned and abhorrent weapons. (the-trench.org)
Dr. Matthew S. Meselson, Harvard University's Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences and co-Director of the Harvard Sussex Program on Chemical and Biological Weapons, received the $50,000 Future of Life Award at a ceremony at the University of Boulder's Conference on World Affairs on April 9, 2019. (belfercenter.org)

On the other hand, scientific advances can be of benefit to the Convention by, for example, improving vaccines and the diagnosis of diseases. (unoda.org)
Major advances in the life sciences in recent decades raise the possibility of technical improvements that would make Cold War-era biological arms more effective or herald a new, more targetable generation of these weapons. (unidir.org)

This prohibits nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, under water, and in any other environment if the explosions cause radioactive debris to be present outside the territory of a responsible state. (armscontrol.org)

This limits the spread of ballistic missiles and other unmanned delivery systems used for chemical, biological and nuclear attacks by encouraging its 35 member states to restrict their exports of technologies capable of delivering any type of WMD. (armscontrol.org)

COVID, Choices and a Darker Biological Weapons Future? (unidir.org)
The devastating impact of COVID-19 may inspire some States to consider the development of biological weapons in the future. (unidir.org)
No Evidence US + UK Created COVID-19 As Bio-Weapon! (rojakpot.com)

The work in the intersessional period is guided by the aim of strengthening the implementation of all articles of the Convention in order to better respond to current challenges. (unoda.org)
Collaboration with international organizations and networks related to combating infectious diseases at all levels, as well as regional and sub-regional cooperation to promote implementation of all articles of the Convention. (unoda.org)

States Parties also agree to avoid hampering the economic or technological development of States Parties to the Convention or international co-operation in the field of peaceful biological activities. (unoda.org)
The international scientific community has repeatedly warned that developments in science and technology have lowered every technological barrier to acquiring and using biological weapons. (the-trench.org)
And they will state that scientific and technological developments have been evolutionary, not dramatic, with little impact on the production and use of chemical weapons. (nature.com)

States Parties meet every five years to review the convention, update its mandate, and make decisions on future areas of work. (scoville.org)
The 2018 Meeting of States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention was chaired by Mr. Ljupčo Jivan Gjorgjinski of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. (unoda.org)
States Parties considered the topic "Review of developments in the field of science and technology related to the Convention" during the 2012-2015 intersessional programme as a standing agenda item. (unoda.org)
The latest Meeting of States Parties (MSP) of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), chaired by Ambassador Ljupco Jivan Gjorgjinski of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, took place from 4-7 December in Geneva. (reachingcriticalwill.org)
Maintaining the international norm against the use of biological weapons and addressing these challenges should have been at the core of states parties' discussions. (reachingcriticalwill.org)
Late last week, the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) completed a Formal Consultative Meeting of BWC States Parties. (councilonstrategicrisks.org)
Further, it serves as a critical diplomatic forum for States Parties to communicate and come together to keep working toward a world where biological weapons are normatively and politically inconceivable. (councilonstrategicrisks.org)

The BWC is considered to have established a strong global norm against biological weapons. (wikipedia.org)
The norm against the development and use of these weapons remains strong and continues to grow with each new State Party. (the-trench.org)

Article III: Not to transfer, or in any way assist, encourage, or induce anyone else to acquire or retain biological weapons. (wikipedia.org)

It is also demonstrated by the fact that not a single state today declares to possess or seek biological weapons, or asserts that their use in war is legitimate. (wikipedia.org)
And also no country asserts that the use of such weapons is legitimate in a war. (believersias.com)

The BWC supplements the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which had prohibited only the use of biological weapons. (advocatetanmoy.com)

Klotz is Senior Science Fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and a longtime member of the Scientists' Working Group on Chemical and Biological Weapons. (thebulletin.org)

Agreement between the two superpowers marked the final stage of the negotiation of the Convention. (believersias.com)

Whether it is inconclusive or incremental, the BWC is a keystone that helps build and reinforce norms against the research, development, and use of biological weapons. (councilonstrategicrisks.org)

He has also published extensively on the subjects of biological weapons, the social impact of genetics and other biosciences and the responsibility of scientists, and has convened several symposia on these questions. (sipri.org)

The chemical weapons convention does include provisions for surprise inspections and sanctions. (ahrp.org)

In a statement headlined Advancing Global Nuclear "Fail-Safe" , EASLG leaders Des Browne , Wolfgang Ischinger, Igor Ivanov , Ernest J. Moniz, and Sam Nunn join more than 30 other leaders in calling for all nuclear-weapons states to conduct internal reviews of their nuclear command-and-control and weapons systems. (nti.org)

Identify sectors responsible for response to potential IHR related hazards (biological, chemical and radiation). (who.int)

He has been a consultant to the United Nations Centre for Disarmament, and has convened SIPRI and Pugwash symposia on matters relating to chemical weapons. (sipri.org)
It has been claimed that Nixon's declarations resulted from careful calculations that the US was far ahead technically of most other nations in its chemical and nuclear weapons. (ahrp.org)

Anatomy1

Organisms5

Diseases6

Chemicals and Drugs7

Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment4

Psychiatry and Psychology4

Phenomena and Processes3

Disciplines and Occupations4

Anthropology, Education, Sociology and Social Phenomena21

Technology, Industry, Agriculture15

Humanities3

Information Science3

Health Care28

Geographicals1

19728

Toxin Weapons17

BTWC4

20224

Toxins11

Threats16

Prohibition4

Treaty17

Biosecurity4

Peaceful purposes3

Radiological6

Warfare9

Nonproliferation3

Countermeasures3

Mass destruction1

19693

Strengthen1

Threat2

Stockpile2

Verification1

Outbreaks2

Offensive2

Acquisition2

Israel's2

Review Conference5

Risks5

20232

Uses of biological2

Agents9

Efforts2

Measures1

Conference2

Advances2

Prohibits1

Attacks1

COVID3

Implementation2

Technological3

Parties7

Norm2

Acquire1

Asserts2

19251

Proliferation1

Negotiation1

Development1

Scientists1

Provisions1

Conduct1

Hazards1

Nations2