Workshop on the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Addis Ababa, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Ana Izar Political Affairs Officer/EU Project Officer United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs

Implementation of European Union Council Decision 2016/51 in support of the BWC

AU/UNODA Universalisation Workshop on the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

Addis Ababa, 11-12 December 2018

European Union Council Decision 2016/51

• Background -
• The EU adopted Council Decision 2016/51 in support of the

BWC on 18 January 2016 in the framework of its Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

• This Council Decision is the fourth continuous EU initiative

in support of the BWC over the last ten years (two EU Joint Actions and two Council Decisions), with its support amounting to more than 6.3 million euros.

EU support to BWC since 2006

• At a glance-
• Workshops: 31, including 22 regional workshops, to discuss, amongst
• ther topics, BWC universalisation, Confidence-Building Measures and

capacity-building at the national and regional levels.

• Financial support: Almost 30 countries, both parties and not parties to

the BWC have received assistance through EU support since 2006, including 10 countries currently receiving support through the current Council Decision Extended Assistance Programmes (EAPs).

• BWC membership: since 2006, 27 states have joined the Convention,

with the total number now reaching 182. The last country to join the Convention was the Central African Republic, who officially deposited its ratification instrument on 25 September 2018 in Washington.

Council Decision 2016/51

• Projects at a glance-
• 1. Promoting universal adherence to the BWC
• 2. Enhancing interaction on Science and Technology
• 3. Developing national implementation capacities
• 4. Supporting the Eighth Review Conference
• 5. Strengthening the UN Secretary-General’s

Mechanism

• 6. Developing awareness-raising tools

Project 1: Universalisation

• To promote universal adherence to the BWC by

encouraging States not party to better understand the benefit of joining the BWC and getting more involved in meetings and other activities

Project Purpose

• IGAD Universalisation Workshop: 3-4 October 2018 in

Djibouti

• Workshop for Pacific Island States: 27-28 July 2017 in Fiji.

Shortly after, on 21 September, Samoa acceded to the BWC. In June 2018, Niue also ratified the Convention

• Universalisation Mission to Haiti: 21-23 March 2018 in Port-

au-Prince

Activities

• AU-UNODA Universalisation Workshop on the BWC: 11-12

December 2018 in Addis Ababa

Planned Activities

Regional Workshop for the Pacific Region

Nadi, Fij iji, i, 27-28 Ju July ly 2017

Regional Workshop for the Pacific Region

• Focus -
• The Regional Workshop for the Pacific Region focused on

engaging regional island States not Party to the BWC Kiribati, Micronesia, Niue and Tuvalu with regional States Parties, including Fiji as the host, Australia, Nauru, New Zealand, Samoa and Vanuatu; BWC depositaries such as the United States; and regional organisations such as the Pacific Island Forum.

• The workshop allowed BWC States not Party to learn from

the national experiences of States Parties on national implementation, international cooperation for peaceful purposes and confidence-building measures.

Regional Workshop for the Pacific Region

• Achievements -
• Shortly before the workshop, Samoa had deposited its

instrument of accession to the BWC in Washington, well in preparation for the event. This allowed Samoa to share its experience with other Pacific islands who were not yet States Parties about the ratification process.

• On 14 September 2018, Niue deposited its instrument of

accession to the BWC in Washington.

• A follow-up universalisation workshop will take place in Fiji

this December, to sustain the universalisation efforts launched through this Council Decision with the first workshop in July 2017.

Universalisation Workshop for IGAD Member States Djibouti, 3-4 October 2018

IGAD Universalisation Workshop

• Focus -
• The Universalisation Workshop for IGAD Member States

focused on engaging those IGAD countries who are not yet party to the BWC, Djibouti, Somalia and South Sudan, and raising their level of awareness about the Convention.

• IGAD Member States Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan also

participated in the workshop and shared their national experiences on national implementation of the BWC, assistance opportunities, ratification processes and building a national BWC architecture.

IGAD Universalisation Workshop

• Achievements -
• Djibouti has developed an Action Plan for the

ratification of the BWC following the workshop, as well as an implementation roadmap in anticipation

• f its ratification.
• Somalia and South Sudan have requested high-level

in-country awareness raising assistance from UNODA in order to sensitise high-level officials and start working towards ratification of the BWC. South Sudan will participate in the MSP this year.

Universalisation as a priority

The European Union is a strong supporter of the universalization of the BWC. Under this Council Decision, the EU has decided to promote "universal adherence to the Convention by encouraging States not party to better understand the benefits of joining the BWC and getting more involved in BWC meetings and other activities."

Universalisation as a priority

The BWC Review Conferences have regularly asserted that increasing the membership of the BWC is of great importance. However, there are still 16 States not party to the BWC. On 25 September 2018, the Central African Republic deposited its instrument of accession to the BWC in Washington. As of this date, the Central African Republic is therefore the 182th State Party to the Convention. UNODA works closely with other relevant actors, including the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540 Committee and relevant regional organizations to develop ongoing working relationships, provide tailored informational materials where necessary and advocate for universalization.

On 25 Se September 2018, th the Ce Central l Afr fric ican Republi lic became th the 182th BWC C St State Part rty aft fter deposit itin ing its its in instrument of ratif ific icatio ion in in Washin ington

Signatory States

(deposit of instrument of ratification still required)

• Egypt
• Haiti
• Somalia
• Syrian Arab Republic
• United Republic of Tanzania

Non-Signatory States (deposit of instrument of accession or succession still required)

• Chad
• Comoros
• Djibouti
• Eritrea
• Israel
• Kiribati
• Micronesia

(Federated States of)

• Namibia
• South Sudan
• Tuvalu

Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Regional Workshops on Science and Technology under European Union Council Decision 2016/51

Project 2: : Science and Technology Workshops

• Enhanced interaction between the BWC process and non-governmental

stakeholders through the organisation of regional workshops

• Establishing a virtual network of experts drawn from the participants in the

regional workshops

Project Purpose

• Regional Workshop for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (21-22 September 2017,

Kiev/Ukraine)

• Regional Workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean (16-17 April 2018, Mexico

City/Mexico)

• Regional Workshop for the Middle East and North Africa (11-12 July 2018, Amman/Jordan)
• Regional Workshop for sub-Saharan Africa (25-26 July 2018, Pretoria/South Africa)
• Regional Workshop for Asia (21-22 November, Manila/Philippines)

The Science and Technology Workshops on the BWC

Project 2: : S&T Workshops

• expected results -

Increased awareness among the scientific community Involvement of the scientific community in national implementation Increased regional and international cooperation in capacity building Constructive input to the BWC science and technology review Broader and better understanding of scientific and technology issues related to the BWC

Science and Technology Workshop for Central Asia and Eastern Europe

Kie Kiev, Ukrai aine/2 /21-22 Sep eptember r 2017 2017

Science and Technology Workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean

Mexi xico City ty, Mexi xico/16-17 Apri pril 2018

Science and Technology Workshop for the Middle East and North Africa

Amman an, Jo Jordan/11-12 Jul July 2018

Science and Technology Workshop for sub-Saharan Africa

Pretor

• ria

ia, Sou

• uth Afric

frica/2 /25-26 July July 2018

Scie ience and Technology Workshop for Asia ia

Man anil ila, Phili hilippines/2 /21-22 November 2018 2018

Project 2: : S&T Workshops

• main topics of

f dis iscussion -

Institutional coordination mechanisms at the national level Public awareness of biosafety and biosecurity topics: sensitisation Developing BWC national architectures/ structures Lessons learnt from epidemic and pandemic

• utbreaks

Preparedness and response capacities at national and regional levels

Project 3: : Capacity Development for BWC implementation

Project Purpose

Strengthening the national implementation of the BWC by providing expert capacity development assistance

Conducted Activities

Workshop for EU experts (29 March 2017) Establishment of roster of EU experts  Legislative assistance workshops for Sierra Leone (September 2017), Côte d’Ivoire (November 2017), Cameroon (March 2018) and Malawi (March 2018) Laboratory biorisk trainings for Malaysia (April + July 2018), strategic trade control workshops for Colombia (May + September 2018); biosafety training for Iraq scientists (September 2018); biosecurity training for Lebanon (November 2018)

Upcoming Activities

Awareness-raising and legislative drafting workshop for Nepal (Kathmandu, 7-11 January 2019) Legislative drafting workshop for Lebanon ( Beirut, 21-25 January 2019)

Project 3: : Ext xtended Assis istance Programmes

• exp

xpected result lts -

Adoption of appropriate legislative and administrative measures to implement BWC Better coordination and networking among all stakeholders involved in BWC process Creation or enhancement

• f national mechanisms to

provide the required information under the BWC, including CBMs Increased technical competence and understanding of the BWC from scientists in beneficiary countries Effective implementation and enforcement to prevent violations of the BWC and to impose sanctions in case of breaches

EAP Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries included: States Parties which recently joined the BWC (Côte d’Ivoire and Nepal, both in 2016) States Parties at low levels of national BWC implementation (Lebanon, Malawi, Sierra Leone) States Parties with urgent security concerns (Iraq and Yemen) States Parties at a higher level of national implementation with focused requests and an effective use of previous support (Cameroon, Colombia, Malaysia)

Beneficiary ry countries

Cameroon Colombia Cote d’Ivoire Iraq Malawi Malaysia Sierra Leone Yemen Nepal Lebanon

Project 3: : Legislative Assistance Activities

Sierra Leone

Legislative Workshop (Freetown, September 2017)

Côte d’Ivoire

Legislative Drafting Workshop (Abidjan, November 2017)

Cameroon

Legislative Drafting Workshop (Yaoundé, March 2018)

Malawi

Legislative Drafting Workshop (Lillongwe, March 2018)

EAP Legislative Work rkshop for Sie ierra Leone

Fr Freetown, Sep eptember 2017

EAP Legislative Work rkshop for Côte d’Ivoire

Abi bidjan, November 2017

EAP Legislative Work rkshop for Cameroon

Yaou aoundé, Mar arch 2018

EAP Legislative/Awareness-Raising Workshop for Malawi

Lillo Lillongwe, March 2018

Project 3: : Biosecurity Training Courses

Malaysia

Biorisk Management Training Courses (Kuala Lumpur, April/July 2018)

Iraq Biosecurity Training Course

(Jordan, September 2018)

Lebanon

Biosecurity Training Course for LAF (Beirut, November 2018)

Biorisk Management Training Courses for Malaysia

Kua uala la Lum umpur, Apr pril il/July ly 2018

Biosecurity Training Course for Ir Iraq

Jo Jordan, Sep eptember 2018

Biosecurity/Biosafety Training Course for Le Lebanese Armed Forces

Bei eirut, , November 2018 2018

Project 3: : Strategic Trade Assis istance for Colo lombia

Bogota, , May/September r 2018

For more information…

ww www. w.unog.c .ch/bwc wc

Contacts:

• Ms. Ana Izar

Political Affairs Officer/Project Officer for EU Council Decision 2016/51 United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs Tel: +41 (0)22-917-3463 Mob: +41 (0)76-691-0664 E-mail: izar@un.org BWC Implementation Support Unit Tel: +41 (0)22-917-2230 Fax: +41 (0)22-917-0483 e-mail: bwc@un.org @BWCISU www.facebook.com/1972BWC