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This website is designed to guide users through the
area of international treaties, conventions, standards and guidelines
applicable to biotechnology. |
Title: The Biological Weapons Convention/ Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction. |
Summary of Provisions:The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) builds on the 1925 Geneva Protocol, but concerns only bacteriological and not chemical weapons. It prohibits their development, production and stockpiling and by inference that the Convention is not, "in any way limiting or detracting from the obligations of the Geneva Protocol" (http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/sbtwc/keytext/textcon.htm), it also prohibits their use. In an advancement on the Protocol, the BWC does not only cover use between states but use "for hostile purposes or in armed conflict", which is more relevant to contemporary conflict patterns. The BWC has significant weaknesses. It allows research and development to take place for 'justifiable' reasons, without creating the necessary verification and control mechanisms to prevent misuse occurring. "There are no provisions in the Biological Weapons Convention restricting research activities." (Goldblat, 1994, page 94). While the BWC does not cover the prohibition of chemical weapons, the significance of this was recognised and Article IX of the convention states that, "Each state party to this convention affirms the recognised objective of effective prohibition of chemical weapons." (http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/sbtwc/keytext/textcon.htm). Summary of Development:The BWC was opened for signing on 10th April 1972 and has been in force from the 26th March 1975. The convention provides for conferences to take place, there have been five so far, in 1980, 1986, 1991, and 1996 and 2001 (additionally the Fifth Review Conference was reconvened in 2002). Part of the aim of these conferences has been to establish a protocol to strengthen the Convention. An Ad Hoc Working Group was established in 1994 to elaborate a suitable text for this protocol, but its work ended without a Protocol being agreed when the United States withdrew its support for the process in 2001. It has been clarified through the conferences and various United Nations resolutions that the Convention covers all new scientific and technological advances in the relevant fields e.g. microbiology or genetic engineering. The BWC has been supplemented by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993. Current Status:163 State Parties. Precursors:The 1925 Geneva Protocol. Related Summaries on the Genomics Gateway Site:Chemical Weapons Convention Page last updated 26th March 2009. Comments/enquiries to catherine.rhodes-2 'at' manchester.ac.uk
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