Development of and prospects for the biological weapons convention

Abstract

Biological weapons are used in wars to wound or kill people or animals and destroy crops with pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, as well as toxins and other biologically active substances. These are highly infectious, easily communicable, widely destructive, long-acting, and difficult to prevent and treat. Thus, a major challenge for the international community is preventing the spread of biological weapons throughout the world. The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) is a multilateral treaty that clearly prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition and preservation of biological and toxic weapons, as well as the design and delivery of biological warfare agents, except for the purpose of prevention, protection and other peaceful uses. The BWC is, to a certain extent, binding on countries capable of manufacturing biological weapons, and has become a powerful tool enabling the international community to jointly deal with the threats posed by biological weapons. However, its effectiveness has been reduced by the lack of a corresponding verification mechanism. With the rapid development of biotechnology, global biosecurity is faced with new and highly uncertain challenges and threats, which requires the member countries of the BWC to cooperate with, promote, and supervise each other in making constant improvements to the BWC in an effort to maintain global peace and stable development.

Keywords

• Biological Weapons Convention
• Biotechnology
• Biosafety
• State parties