The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), formally the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction, was opened for signature on 10 April 1972 and entered into force on 26 March 1975. It is the first multilateral disarmament treaty to ban an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.
Under Article I, states parties undertake never to develop, produce, stockpile, or otherwise acquire microbial or other biological agents and toxins "of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes," as well as weapons designed to use such agents for hostile purposes. Article II requires destruction or diversion to peaceful use of existing stocks. Article III prohibits transfer to any recipient, and Article IV obliges states to take domestic measures to implement the ban. Article X preserves the right to peaceful exchange of biological science and technology.
The BWC complements the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which had banned the use but not the possession of biological and chemical weapons. The three depositaries are the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Russian Federation (originally the Soviet Union).
A key weakness is the absence of a formal verification regime. Negotiations on a legally binding compliance protocol collapsed in 2001 when the United States rejected the draft. Instead, states parties rely on Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) introduced in 1986 and on Review Conferences held roughly every five years. The Implementation Support Unit (ISU), based in Geneva within the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, was established in 2006 to assist states parties.
The Convention has been invoked in debates over alleged programs in the former Soviet Union (revealed by defectors including Ken Alibek), Iraq prior to 2003, and concerns about dual-use research. Membership has grown steadily, though a handful of states remain outside the regime.
Example
At the Ninth Review Conference in Geneva in late 2022, states parties agreed to establish a working group to strengthen the BWC, including on compliance and verification measures.
Frequently asked questions
No. Unlike the CWC and its OPCW inspectorate, the BWC has no verification body. Negotiations on a compliance protocol broke down in 2001, and states rely on voluntary Confidence-Building Measures and Review Conferences.
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