EU Council Decision 2016/51/CFSP An important tool in support of the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Regional Workshop for Latin America

Preparing for the 8th Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention Brasilia, Brazil, 22 - 23 August 2016

EU Council Decision 2016/51/CFSP An important tool in support of the BTWC

…………………….. Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Export Control Division European External Action Service (EEAS) Brussels

• 1. STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

EU STRATEGY AGAINST PROLIFERATION OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION (2003)

• Aims, inter alia, at strengthening the BTWC through the adoption of the

measures listed in Chapter III, with reference to the reinforcement, implementation and universalisation of the BTWC;

• For the purpose of giving immediate and practical application to the above

mentioned provisions, since 2006 the Union has engaged constructively at the 2006 and 2011 Review Conferences of the States Parties to the BTWC and has adopted four consecutive action plans (two Joint Actions and two Council Decisions) in support of the BTWC.

• 1. STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

1) Council Joint Action 2006/184/CFSP (27 Feb. 2006): for the period 2006-2007; 2) Council Joint Action 2008/858/CFSP (10 Nov.2008): for the period 2009-2011; 3) Council Decision 2012/421/CFSP (24 July 2012): for the period 2012-2015; 4) Council Decision 2016/51/CFSP (18 Jan.2016): for the period 2016-2018. EU SUPPORT TO THE BTWC SINCE 2006

• 1. STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

EU SUPPORT TO THE BTWC SINCE 2006

• 23 WORKSHOPS – OF WHICH 14 REGIONAL – discussing universalisation, national

implementation, Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) among others;

• 16 COUNTRIES, both parties and not yet parties to the Convention, received assistance

through EU financial support in the field of national implementation;

• 19 STATES HAVE JOINED THE CONVENTION,
• THE NUMBER OF ANNUAL CBM SUBMISSIONS HAS INCREASED FROM 58 TO 70, AND 19

STATES HAVE SUBMITTED THEIR FIRST CBM DECLARATION. THE OVERALL FINANCIAL SUPPORT ALLOCATED FROM THE EU COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY BUDGET TO THE BTWC AMOUNTS SO FAR TO 6,3 MILLION EUR.

• 2. COUNCIL DECISION 2016/51/CFSP
• Adopted by the Council of the European Union on 18 January 2016;
• Focus on those aspects of the BTWC work on which consensus was reached at

the Seventh Review Conference, as reflected in its Final Document;

• To be seen in conjunction with Council Decision 2015/2096/CFSP as far as the

latter lays down EU's priorities in support of the BTWC Eighth Review Conference to be held on 7 – 25 November 2016 in Geneva;

• Financial reference amount: EUR 2.340.000;
• Duration: 36 months

• 2. COUNCIL DECISION 2016/51/CFSP

1) SUPPORT FOR BTWC UNIVERSALISATION 2) INTERACTION WITH NON-GOVERNMENTAL STAKEHOLDERS ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 3) CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT FOR BTWC IMPLEMENTATION 4) SUPPORT FOR THE INTERSESSIONAL PROGRAMME AND THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE EIGHTH REVIEW CONFERENCE 5) SUPPORT TO THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL'S MECHANISM FOR INVESTIGATION OF ALLEGED USE OF CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL AND TOXIN WEAPONS (SGM) 6) ENABLING TOOLS FOR AWARENESS-RAISING, EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT.

Projects

PROJECT I: SUPPORT FOR BTWC UNIVERSALISATION

PROJECT ACTIVITES

1) 6 IN-COUNTRY VISITS; Regions involved (Indicative): Africa, Asia, Caribbean. 2) A REGIONAL TWO-DAY STAKEHOLDERS UNIVERSALISATION WORKSHOP FOR AFRICA. Focus activities will be awareness-raising among national stakeholders and the establishment of national coordination. 3) SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMME FOR ATTENDING BTWC MEETINGS OR OTHER RELEVANT EVENTS. The project will allow relevant officials from 6 States not party to the BTWC to go to Geneva for relevant meetings.

TOTAL COST OF PROJECT I IS ESTIMATED AT 76.000 EUR

PROJECT II: INTERACTION WITH NON-GOVERNMENTAL STAKEHOLDERS ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

PURPOSE

To enhance the interaction between the BTWC process and non-governmental stakeholders on scientific and technological issues and on biosafety & biosecurity.

PROJECT ACTIVITES

1) A MAXIMUM OF FIVE REGIONAL WORKSHOPS ON SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUES AND ON BIOSAFETY AND BIOSECURITY. 2) ESTABLISHMENT OF A VIRTUAL NETWORK OF EXPERTS drawn from participants in the workshops.

TOTAL COST OF PROJECT II IS ESTIMATED AT 205,000 EUR

PROJECT III: CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT FOR BTWC IMPLEMENTATION

1) A MAXIMUM OF EIGHT EXTENDED ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES including the development and the execution of structured Action Plans tailored for the beneficiary countries and comprising: a) Two national workshops; b) Two in-country assistance visits; c) One sponsored training visit to an EU capital or Geneva for one relevant official of the recipient country.

• Regions involved (Indicative): Asia, Africa, Latin America;

2) A ONE-DAY WORKSHOP IN BRUSSELS FOR EXPERTS FROM ALL 28 EU MEMBER STATES AND FROM

RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS, to be held before the start of the first extended assistance programmes, in order to discuss best practices as well as coordination/interaction with other assistance providers.

TOTAL COST OF PROJECT III IS ESTIMATED AT 368.000 EUR PURPOSE

PROJECT IV: SUPPORT FOR THE INTERSESSIONAL PROGRAMME AND PREPARATIONS FOR THE EIGHT REVIEW CONFERENCE PURPOSE

Mobilising BTWC States Parties for active participation in the Eighth Review Conference of the BWC. To this extent, it also supports what is laid down in Council Decision 2015/2096/CFSP of 16 November 2015 on the EU Common Position relating to the Eight Review Conference scheduled to take place in Geneva from 7 to 25 November 2016.

PROJECT IV: SUPPORT FOR THE INTERSESSIONAL PROGRAMME AND PREPARATIONS FOR THE EIGHT REVIEW CONFERENCE PROJECT ACTIVITIES

1) ARRANGEMENT OF FOUR REGIONAL WORKSHOPS to address and stimulate reflection ahead of and during

the Eighth Review Conference with a view to the future evolution of the BTWC.

• Regions Involved (Indicative): Southern and South East Asia; Africa; Latin America; Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

2) TWO ONE-DAY EVENTS IN GENEVA, one of which already took place on 27 April 2016 in the margin of the first

session of the Preparatory Committee as a side event in the broader context of the 10th anniversary of the EU support to the BWC.

3) A SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMME to allow developing country participants to attend the Preparatory Committee

in August and the Eighth Review Conference.

• Regions Involved (Indicative): Africa, Latin America, Asia;

PROJECT IV: SUPPORT FOR THE INTERSESSIONAL PROGRAMME AND PREPARATIONS FOR THE EIGHT REVIEW CONFERENCE PROJECT ACTIVITIES

4) A PEER REVIEW EXERCISE aimed at broadening the support for this concept and at further exploring the relevance of

the concept. The exercise will build upon the exercise conducted in France in 2013, and that conducted by the BENELUX countries in 2015, with a view to producing a report for the consideration of States Parties in advance of the Eighth Review Conference.

5) PRODUCTION OF TWO STUDIES:

a) One on the lessons learned from the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak and the international response thereto for the implementation of Article VII of the BTWC, but also covering aspects of relevance to Article X in terms of scientific b) The second on making the provisions of Article V of the BTWC more effective regarding consultation among State Parties.

TOTAL COST OF PROJECT IV IS ESTIMATED AT 430.000 EUR

PROJECT V: SUPPORT OT THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL'S MECHANISM PROJECT ACTIVITIES

1) ONE BASIC AND ONE ADVANCED/SPECIALISED TRAINING COURSE FOR EXPERTS ON THE ROSTER OF THE SGM. 2) ONE MEETING OF INTER AND INTRA-ORGANISATIONAL SGM STAKEHOLDERS. 3) TWO CROSS-ORGANISATIONAL TRAINING EVENTS.

TOTAL COST OF PROJECT V IS ESTIMATED AT 250.000 EUR

PROJECT VI: ENABLING TOOLS FOR AWARENESS-RAISING, EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT PROJECT ACTIVITIES

1) DEVELOPMENT OF A WEB-BASED EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE about biological weapons and biosecurity for university students and/or secondary school biology students and teachers. 2) TRANSLATION OF BWC WEBSITE: Currently, the majority of the text on the BTWC website is only in English: no pages available in any of the other four official languages of the BTWC (Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish). 3) PRODUCTION OF ENABLING TOOLS PRODUCED UNDER PREVIOUS JOINT ACTIONS AND COUNCIL DECISION. a) Revision of the guide to the CBMs : produced in English and translated into the other official languages under the previous Council Decision; b) Completion of a guide on national implementation: foreseen by the previous Council Decision.

TOTAL COST OF PROJECT VI IS ESTIMATED AT 95.000 EUR

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION QUESTIONS?

………………………. Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Export Control Division European External Action Service (EEAS) Brussels