VERTIC Datasets: BW legislation

Biological Weapons Convention:
Collection of national implementation legislation

• New additions to the collection

Article IV of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) requires states parties to adopt appropriate legal measures to ensure that the treaty’s fundamental prohibitions, contained in Article I, are enforceable in national law. These include the prohibitions on developing, producing, stockpiling or otherwise acquiring or retaining microbial or other biological agents or toxins and their delivery systems for other than defensive purposes.

This collection contains such implementing legislation, although legislation on other treaty issues, such as control of pathogens and relevant export controls, has been included where it is available. Without such legislation, states parties cannot effectively fulfil their treaty obligations.

States parties have agreed to discuss, and promote common understanding and effective action on, the adoption of national implementing measures and penal sanctions under their Work Programme agreed at the treaty’s Fifth Review Conference in November 2002. These meetings comprise annual Experts Meetings and Meeting of States Parties, commencing in August 2003.

VERTIC welcomes comments on the status and accuracy of the legislation and translations contained in the collection, including from states parties.

Methodology
VERTIC has surveyed the status of legislation in all states parties since April 2002, using a questionnaire modelled on that developed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to evaluate legal measures to implement the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention. The VERTIC questionnaire is available in English, French and Spanish on this website. Additionally, staff searched open-source information on biological weapons-related legislation. VERTIC wishes to thank the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs (UNDDA) for sharing information on their legislative holdings, as well as states parties and others who have provided information for this collection. Despite this intensive research, the collection does not have information on all states parties. It would be helpful if states parties which have not already done so complete the questionnaire available on this website.

Research
VERTIC will present a draft report on the status and effectiveness of national implementation legislation to the BWC Experts Meeting in August 2003 and a final report to the BWC Meeting of States Parties in November 2003. The reports will provide comparative analysis of legislation in this collection, identify states for which no information is available and highlight issues affecting the adoption of appropriate legislation.

Project contact
Angela Woodward, Deputy Director and Arms Control and Disarmament Researcher (Chemical and Biological), Verification Research, Training and Information Centre (VERTIC), Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street. London EC2A 4JX, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7065 0880; fax: +44 (0) 20 7065 0890; e-mail:

Project resources
Time to lay down the law: national legislation to enforce the BWC
Final report launched at the Biological Weapons Convention Meeting of States Parties, held in Geneva from 10-14 November 2003. VERTIC, November 2003.

'Time to lay down the law: status of national laws to enforce the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention', draft report for consideration during the BWC Experts Meeting, August 2003. VERTIC, August 2003.

VERTIC. Biological Weapons Convention project webpage ‘Promoting effective verification of the Biological Weapons Convention’

VERTIC Questionnaire: Status of National Legal Measures to Implement the Article 1 Prohibitions of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention
VERTIC Questionnaire: Statut des Mesures Légales Nationales pour l’entrée en vigeur des interdictions continues dans l’Article 1 de la Convention sur les Armes Biologiques de 1972
VERTIC Cuestionario: Situación de las Medidas Jurídicas Nacionales para la puesta en práctica de las prohibiciones del Articulo 1 de la Convención de Armas Biológicas de 1972
VERTIC Questionnaire: Status of National Legal Measures to Implement the Article 1 Prohibitions of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention [ARABIC]

Text of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention

Additional resources
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Information about national implementing legislation to enforce the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

Disclaimer
While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of all material reproduced on this site, VERTIC does not guarantee that it is free from error or omission. Any errors in the official version have been reproduced for authenticity. We encourage your comments on any errors or omissions and welcome the submission of additional legislative texts.

Every effort has been made to ensure that legislation on this site is the official version published by states parties. However, only the paper copy officially published by the state party concerned is deemed authentic.

For legislation officially published in a language other than English, a translation has been provided. All such translations are unofficial, unless stated otherwise. VERTIC welcomes the submission of official translations from states parties for inclusion on the site.