The Eig ighth Review Conference: : Process overv rview - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Eig ighth Review Conference: : Process

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Introductory Workshop on the Eighth BWC Review Conference BWC ISU, ILPI, GCSP 19 September 2016

Daniel Feakes Chief BWC Implementation Support Unit United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (Geneva Branch)

Overview

• Mandate of the Review Conference
• History of past Review Conferences
• Procedural and administrative issues
• 2016 Preparatory Process
• BWC Sponsorship Programme

Role of the RevCon

“Five years after the entry into force of this Convention … a conference of States Parties to the Convention shall be held at Geneva, Switzerland, to review the operation of the Convention, with a view to assuring that the purposes of the preamble and the provisions of the Convention… are being

• realized. Such review shall take into account any

new scientific and technological developments relevant to the Convention.”

BWC Article XII

RevCon frequency

• BWC – “Five years after the entry into force of this

Convention … a conference of States Parties to the Convention shall be held …”

• RC1 – “not earlier than 1985 … not later than 1990”
• RC2, 3, 4 and 5 – “not later than …”
• RC6 – “recommends that Review Conferences

should continue to be held at least every five years.”

• RC7 – “decides that Review Conferences be held at

least every five years.”

Eighth Review Conference

“The Conference decides that the Eighth Review Conference shall be held in Geneva not later than 2016 and should review the operation

• f the Convention, taking into account, inter alia:

a) new scientific and technological developments relevant to the Convention, taking into account the relevant decision of this Conference regarding the review of developments in the field of science and technology related to the Convention; b) the progress made by States Parties on the implementation of the Convention; c) progress

• f

the implementation

• f

decisions and recommendations agreed upon at the Seventh Review Conference, taking into account, as appropriate, decisions and recommendations reached at previous review conferences.” BWC/CONF.VII/7, para 66, p. 18

Previous Review Conferences

87 102 118 132 146 155 165 175 40 58 69 65 68 78 93 114 53 63 78 77 94 103 103 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 RC1 1980 RC2 1986 RC3 1991 RC4 1996 RC5 2001/02 RC6 2006 RC7 2011 RC8 2016 SPs Participating SPs PrepCom Participating SPs RevCon

Review Conference presidents

RC President State Party

• Reg. Group

1 Oscar Vaerno Norway Western 2 Winfried Lang Austria NAM 3 Roberto Moritan Argentina NAM* 4 Michael Weston UK Western 5 Tibor Toth Hungary Eastern 6 Masood Khan Pakistan NAM 7 Paul van den IJssel Netherlands Western 8 György Molnár Hungary Eastern * In 1991, the Eastern European Group ceded the Presidency of the Third RevCon to the NAM

Procedural and admin issues

• Duration – generally of three weeks duration
• Timing – usually at the end of the year
• Budget – until 2011, funded by States participating,

now funded by all States Parties

• Preparatory Committee – usually a few days on

procedural matters in the Spring (until 2016)

• Bureau – Chairman and two Vice-Chairs elected by

PrepCom, authorized to handle “technical and other matters in the period before the Review Conference”

• Venue – All meetings take place in the United Nations

Office at Geneva

• Rules of procedure – unchanged for many years

Financing the RevCon

• MSP 2015 also approved cost estimates for the

BWC meetings this year contained in BWC/MSP/2015/5*

• Costs are shared by all States Parties:
• April PrepCom – $170,000
• August PrepCom - $218,700
• RevCon – $816,700
• ISU – $760,700
• Total cost in 2016 of $1,966,700
• Over 100 States Parties pay less than $1,000 per

year and 52 pay less than $100

2016 preparatory process

Report of the 2015 MSP General Assembly resolution 70/74

2016 PrepCom Process

April PrepCom

• Organizational aspects
• General exchange of views
• 1.5 days

August PrepCom

• Remaining procedural matters
• Continuation of the General

Exchange of Views

• Comprehensive consideration of

all Convention provisions

• Cross cutting issues (S&T, possible

future ISP, ISU)

• 4.5 days
• Preparatory Committee Agenda BWC/CONF.VIII/PC/1

• Election of office-holders:

– Chairman - György Molnár (Hungary) EEG – Vice-Chairman - Michael Biontino (Germany) WG – Vice-Chairman - Boudjemâa Delmi (Algeria) NAM

• General exchange of views:

– 27 States Parties – 8 States Parties presented specific proposals

• Decision on background papers from ISU
• Endorsed dates (7-25 Nov), duration and financial

arrangements already agreed by MSP2015

April 2016 PrepCom

• Organization of RevCon - Agreement to recommend to the

RevCon:

– Provisional agenda for RevCon – Draft Rules of Procedure – Composition of the General Committee

• General Exchange of views:

– 41 States Parties, Iran on behalf of NAM, statements by EU, ICRC

• Comprehensive consideration of the BWC:

– 30 States Parties took the floor

• Final report of the PrepCom – BWC/CONF.VIII/PC/9

– Includes Chairman’s “summary report” under his own responsibility

August 2016 PrepCom

Possible Themes for the RevCon: Working Papers

8 5 1 9 3 4 5 3 2 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

National WPs 64% Co-sponsored WPs within a RG 15% Cross-regional WPs 13% WPs by Observer Agencies 8%

Distribution

National WPs Co-sponsored WPs within a RG Cross-regional WPs WPs by Observer Agencies

Possible Themes for the RevCon: Working Papers

BWC Sponsorship programme

• To enable participation in BWC meetings in Geneva
• Supported by voluntary contributions
• Aimed at developing States Parties, who have not

previously/regularly attended BWC meetings

• Also available for States not party to the BWC
• Covers cost of flights to and from Geneva and DSA for

attendance at BWC meetings

• Deadline for applications for 2016 PrepCom and Review

Conference was 30 May 2016

• Application form and selection criteria on BWC website
• www.unog.ch/bwc/sponsorship

BWC Sponsorship Programme

• 34 participants from 25 SPs

(incl. Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Malawi, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe)

• 5 States Parties and EU

sponsored programme

• Participation in 1 week

PrepCom, 1 week RevCon

• Eligibility
• Nomination

For more information …

ww www. w.un unog

• g.ch/b

.ch/bwc wc

Or contact:

BWC Implementation Support Unit United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs Palais des Nations Geneva fax: +41 (0)22 917 0483 e-mail: bwc@unog.ch @BWCISU www.facebook.com/1972BWC