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PGA’s vision is to contribute to the creation of a Rules-Based International Order for a more equitable, safe, sustainable and democratic world.

Biological Security and Health Campaign

The Challenge: Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), a Threat to Peace, Security and Stability

Weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) include chemical, biological, and radiological agents with the potential to indiscriminately inflict widespread death and destruction. The severe threat to humanity posed by the acquisition, possession and use of WMDs by hostile state and/or non-state actors, combined with the onset of more sophisticated and complex terrorism threats and actions in recent years, has renewed interest in and commitment to ensuring greater global participation and implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention and implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004).

Opened for signature on 10 April 1972 and entered into force on 26 March 1975, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, also known as the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) or Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), was the result of prolonged efforts by the international community to establish a new instrument that would supplement the 1925 Geneva Protocol.

The BWC is the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of WMDs, with States Parties committing to never, in any circumstances, develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise acquire or retain:

  • Types and quantities of microbial or other biological agents or toxins (whatever their origin or method of production) that have no prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes;
  • Weapons, equipment or means of delivery designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict.
 
State party that signed and ratified
 
State party that has acceded or succeeded to the treaty
 
Unrecognized State abiding by the treaty
 
Signatory State
 
State not party and not signatory
 

Participation in the Biological Weapons Convention

In contrast to the Chemical Weapons Convention, the BWC has no verification mechanism to monitor compliance, and negotiations on the creation of such a mechanism have stalled to date. Until the establishment of more formal verification mechanisms, PGA believes that parliamentarians have an important role to play in addressing this challenge, given their unique prerogatives of oversight, accountability and control over the actions of the executive branch of government.

Complementing the duties imposed on State Parties by the BWC, and adopted on 28 April 2004, the United Nations Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1540 (2004) obliges the UN Members States under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery, in particular for terrorist purposes.

Parliamentarians are indispensable to the requirement of UNSCR 1540 (2004) that States adopt and enforce appropriate laws to this effect, including the preparation of voluntary national implementation and capacity building plans. Article 29 of UNSCR 2325 (2016) specifically identifies parliamentarians as key interlocutors and stakeholders in this process. In addition, Paragraph 172 of the Final Comprehensive Report of the UN Security Council 1540 Committee (2016) expressly acknowledges the essential role played by parliamentarians in enacting necessary legislation to implement UNSCR 1540 (2004).

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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the particular vulnerability and susceptibility to epidemic and pandemic spread faced by countries with inadequate legislative and regulatory practices governing issues of biosafety, infectious disease surveillance, epidemic preparedness and public health emergencies. There is an evident interconnection between issues of global pathogen security and laboratory biosafety, and issues of infectious disease prevention and management and epidemic and public health emergency preparedness. As such, the Campaign for Universality and Implementation of the BWC & Implementation of UNSCR 1540 (2004) attaches high priority to an expansion of work in this area of public health legislative and regulatory strengthening.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic and associated national responses globally have drawn attention to the critical concern posed by the potential acquisition and use of biological weapons by terrorist and rogue actors. The absence of effective legislative and regulatory infrastructure/scaffolding governing global pathogen security and laboratory biosafety (as called for by UNSCR 1540), coupled with inadequate legislative and regulatory practices governing issues of infectious disease preparedness and response, could leave countries uniquely vulnerable to natural/accidental infectious disease outbreaks. As such, future workshops and field missions organized by the campaign, and subsequent provisions of technical assistance and guidance to parliamentarians globally, will attach high importance to addressing this critical nexus.

Given PGA’s track record in providing valuable technical assistance in and good practices pertaining to the review, reform and adoption of relevant legislation and regulations, PGA will be in a strong position to provide pertinent support to high-priority states, as they seek to develop and implement crucial legislation and regulation in this area.

The Response: The BWC/ UNSCR 1540 (2004) Campaign

PGA launched the Campaign to Promote the Universality and Implementation of the BWC and Implementation of UNSCR 1540 (2004) in December 2015, at its 37th Annual Forum in El Salvador. UNSCR 1540 calls on all States to “…refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery, in particular for terrorist purposes.” As such, as it pertains to UNSCR 1540, the campaign seeks to marshal global parliamentary support for the non-proliferation and disarmament of WMDs with particular focus on this nexus of WMDs and potential terrorist exploitation.

This campaign is grounded in recognition of the clear linkages between the non-proliferation of WMDs, peace and security, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly as it pertains to SDG 16, which seeks “To promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies.” More specifically, Target 16.A which addresses the need to “strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime”, is of central relevance to this campaign.

Additionally, this campaign seeks to fulfill and is in line with key objectives and provisions outlined by The Secretary-General's Agenda for Disarmament, within the scope of the “Disarmament to Save Humanity” pillar of the Agenda. Specifically, within Actions 9, 10 and 11, the Secretary-General calls on States to ‘restore respect for the global norm against chemical weapons’, ‘be ready to investigate alleged use of biological weapons’, and ‘to develop frameworks to respond to any use of biological weapons’, respectively. These objectives centrally inform the organization and execution of the work of this campaign.

To achieve its goal, the campaign mobilizes PGA and non-PGA Members of Parliament (MPs) worldwide with a demonstrated track record of success in promoting signature and ratification of international treaties, to engage in promoting:

  • The ratification of, accession to, or succession to the BWC and its implementation in domestic legal frameworks, supporting a strong, effective and universal BWC.
  • The implementation of UNSCR 1540 (2004) in domestic legal frameworks, supporting a strong and effective UNSCR 1540 (2004).

PGA attaches high importance to the incorporation of gender considerations into the activities and outputs of its campaigns. As such, PGA makes concerted efforts to ensure 50% of MPs targeted by this campaign are female Parliamentarians. Additionally, pre-designated portions of all national and international PGA workshops and field missions, are focused on improving participants’ understanding of crucial intersections between gender considerations and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and UNSCR 1540 implementation and BWC promotion and universalization.

Notably, the connection between UNSCR 1325 (2000), UNSCR 2493 (2019), other related Women, Peace and Security UNSCRs and UN General Assembly Resolutions and UNSCR 1540 implementation and BWC promotion and universalization, is a key issue area addressed by PGA during UNSCR 1540 and BWC focused PGA workshops and field missions.

Given the strong linkages between the integration of gender considerations in policy design and implementation, and its subsequent impact on the efficacy of National Reporting, National Implementation Action Plan submissions, and submissions of Requests for Technical Assistance – PGA views gender-responsive workshop and field mission organization as central to the fulfilment of key campaign objectives. Furthermore, in future campaign work discussing the gender and biosecurity nexus, PGA will devote enhanced attention also, to the connection between the usage, manufacture, and proliferation of biological weapons and the potential for natural/accidental infectious disease outbreaks, and the relevant gender considerations (e.g. in policy design and implementation) herein.

On this Page:


Former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, delivers a speech on the 10th anniversary of the adoption of UNSCR 1540

Campaign Achievements

As the first activity of this campaign, PGA convened a Global Parliamentary Forum to Promote Universality and National Implementation of the BWC in San Salvador, El Salvador from 30 November to 1 December 2015 at its 37th Annual Forum on the topic of Role of Parliamentarians in Support of Peace and Security. This Forum took place on the 40th anniversary of the entry into force of the BWC and generated substantial political will among lawmakers in advance of the 8th BWC Review Conference, convened in late 2016.

Ratification of/Accession to the BWC

PGA members have contributed to moving forward the BWC ratification/accession process in 9 of the 183 UN Member Statesthat have ratified it to date.

Important advocacy and outreach lead to the ratification of/ accession to the BWC in Angola, Côte d’Ivoire (2015), Guinea, Liberia, Nepal,Samoa(2016), the Central African Republic, Niue (2018), and Tanzania (2019). Likewise, PGA members contributed to the Instruments of Succession to the BWC being deposited by Vanuatu and Dominica (2016).

In 2019, PGA members in several regions worldwide made significant, demonstrable and tangible strides forward in the Ratification/Accession to the BWC:

  • Somalia announced its intention to move forward with the process of ratification. Continued national governance challenges as well as the Covid-19 pandemic remain as obstacles in this path.
  • Kiribati informed PGA of its decision to accede to the BWC. It is hoped that action in this regard may take place in 2021
  • Tuvalu continued to be advised informally on the matter of BWC ascension by PGA.
Implementation of the BWC
Submission of Report of CBM on the BWC
Implementation of UNSCR 1540 (2004)

PGA continues in 2020 to work with its members in The Gambia, Somalia, Chad, Guinea and Mali to make progress in encouraging respective Governments to submit First National Reports to the UNSCR 1540 Committee.

 

How We Work

Supported by an expert Secretariat, PGA members work together to educate, sensitize, build technical capacity, and strengthen the political will of parliamentarians to achieve campaign objectives through concrete legislative and policy initiatives. PGA works with individual parliamentarians in their national contexts through country-specific strategies, leveraging that capacity with international networking to facilitate connections among parliamentarians and build bridges with civil society, domestic and international policy-makers, and other stakeholders.

Read more on our Theory of Change