GENEVA - November 21 - In an address to the Sixth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention delivered today, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation called on States Parties to the Convention to take bold action to counter the threat of biological weapons. The statement proposes a number of steps that members (called States Parties) could agree to during the Review Conference, and follow-up during annual meetings over the five years preceding the Seventh Review Conference in 2011. The complete statement is available at http://www.bwc06.org/ngo-activities.

“The Center and its Scientists Working Group urge States Parties to undertake a significant effort to improve the national implementation of their obligations under the Convention, including providing sufficient staff support for such efforts” said Alan Pearson, Director of the Center’s Biological and Chemical Weapons Control Program. In addition, noting growing concerns about robust and secretive biodefense activities that threaten to undermine the purpose and objectives of the Convention, the Center called on States Parties to “exchange .. information about the goals, activities and oversight of national biodefense activities and ideas on strategies to enhance transparency.”

The statement also urged States Parties to begin developing mechanisms for investigating allegations of use of biological weapons and non-compliance with the Convention. “The lack of such mechanisms is a critical gap in our efforts to counter the biological weapons threat,” said Pearson.

The Center and Working Group welcomed the wide range of efforts to prevent the development and use of biological weapons that have emerged in the last several years, but noted that such efforts often “lack integration.” Accordingly, they recommended that the States Parties should “reposition the BWC as a central and much needed global instrument for integrating and strengthening” such efforts. States Parties should develop mechanisms for enabling the collective review and assessment of the full range of ongoing activities during annual meetings, and for “building and advancing integrated efforts to counter the biological weapons threat.”

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