DYB2011-Part-II-web

Biological and chemical weapons
the Preparatory Committee. Three States4 that had signed, but had not yet
ratified, the BWC participated without taking part in the decision-making.
One State, 5 which was neither a party nor a signatory to the Convention,
participated as an observer. The United Nations Office for Disarmament
Affairs and the European Union also attended the Committee session. Eleven
non-governmental organizations and research institutes attended public
meetings of the Preparatory Committee. 6
The Preparatory Committee discussed a variety of procedural issues
for the Seventh Review Conference. The discussions resulted in a number
of recommendations, including those on all procedural issues related to the
Conference. On 14 April, the Preparatory Committee adopted its report. 7
Speaking at the conclusion of the Preparatory Committee on 14 April,
the Chairperson said that the meeting had taken all the necessary decisions,
and paved the way for a full and comprehensive review of the BWC in
December 2011. He stated that States parties had “worked in a collegial,
constructive and highly focused way, keeping our overall goal in sight, and
resolving our differences through careful listening, respectful dialogue, and
flexible approaches”. He called on States parties to turn their attention “to
developing practical proposals, bridging differences and building consensus”.
Seventh Review Conference of the Biological Weapons
Convention
The Seventh Review Conference took place in Geneva from 5 to
22 December. The Conference was attended by 104 States parties to the
Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Holy
See, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan,
Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines,
Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian
Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri
Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States,
Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Zambia and Zimbabwe.
4 Egypt, Haiti and Myanmar.
5 Israel.
6 Biological Weapons Prevention Project, Ferdous International Foundation, International
Security and Biopolicy Institute, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies,
Landau Network-Centro Volta, London School of Economics and Political Science,
Research Group for Biological Arms Control, University of Bradford, Harvard Sussex
Program (University of Sussex), United States National Academy of Sciences, Verification
Research, Training and Information Centre.
7 BWC/CONF.VII/PC/2 and Corr.1. This and all documents of the Preparatory Committee
are available from http://www.unog.ch/bwc (accessed 12 April 2012).
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