Information about biological weapons and the BTWC

Informal Ministerial Meeting on the Negotiation Towards Conclusion of the Protocol to Strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention

New York, 23 September 1998

The text of the Declaration of the Meeting is provided below, together with a list of the Co-sponsors of the Declaration.

Click here to view the Disclaimer.

Further information about biological weapons and the BTWC.

 Declaration

of the Informal Ministerial Meeting on the Negotiation Towards Conclusion of the Protocol to Strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention

1. The Ministers view with deep concern the threat to global and regional security posed by biological weapons. They agree on the importance of the strong and urgent international action to ensure the strengthening of the ban on biological weapons. The Ministers welcome Australia's initiative to convene this informal meeting of Ministers under the chairmanship of the Foreign Minister of New Zealand to assist in achieving these goals.

2. The Ministers affirm their strong support for the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and for strengthening the effectiveness and improving the implementation of the Convention. The Ministers underline the political and security imperatives of concluding, as a matter of priority, a protocol to the Convention. They recognise the gravity of the work of the Ad Hoc Group and the pressing need for further progress in that work, and they warmly welcome the progress achieved to date. The Ministers stress the importance of fulfilling all aspects of the Ad Hoc Group mandate, recognising its scope and significance. They strongly believe that benefits in terms of security and development will accrue to all States Parties to the protocol.

3. The Ministers are determined to see this essential negotiation brought to a successful conclusion as soon as possible. They give their full support to the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Group, including on securing necessary time for the Ad Hoc Group to complete its work. The Ministers call on all States Parties to accelerate the negotiations, and to redouble their efforts within the Ad Hoc Group to formulate an efficient, cost-effective and practical regime and seek early resolution of the outstanding issues through renewed flexibility in order to complete the protocol on the basis of consensus at the earliest possible date.

4. The Ministers highlight the value of close dialogue and cooperation with industry in order to enable industry perspectives to contribute to the development of a credible and effective protocol.

5. The Ministers reiterate the importance of strong and urgent action to eliminate the threat of biological weapons. They are committed to sustaining high level political support for the negotiations, including, after consultation among all States Parties to the Convention, through convening a high level meeting at the most appropriate time during the negotiating process in 1999, open to all States Parties to the Convention, in support of the work of the Ad Hoc Group.

23 September 1998
NEW YORK

Informal Ministerial Meeting on the Negotiation Towards Conclusion of the Protocol to Strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention

New York, 23 September 1998

Co-sponsors of the Declaration

Further information about biological weapons and the BTWC.

This Web site provides up to date information on the process of strengthening the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention  (BTWC)  worldwide. It  is part of the Project on Strengthening the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and Preventing Biological Warfare, which is based at the Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK.

Updated 2 October 1998.