VERTIC Programmes: Enhancing national implementation

Arms control & disarmament projects

Building capacity to implement nuclear and biological weapons treaties, norms and UN Security Council Resolutions

Researchers: Angela Woodward; Andreas Persbo
Coordinator: Michael Crowley
Funder: UK Global Opportunities Fund (GOF)

VERTIC's national implementation measures (NIM) project has been developed to address the difficulties that many states, especially developing countries, face in understanding what measures are required at the national level to comply with the prohibitions in a wide range of nuclear and biological treaties, norms and UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCR), and how to implement them. While there are bilateral, multilateral and inter-governmental programmes which offer some implementation assistance, depending on the agreement, there are still substantial gaps to be filled.

VERTIC's project primarily focuses on national implementation measure obligations arising under:

the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),
the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC),
the 1980 Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material,
the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and
UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004).

The project will primarily focus on implementing obligations relating to nuclear weapons (NW) and biological weapons (BW) obligations, but will also include relevant information on chemical weapons (CW) obligations.

Useful work in support of national implementation has been undertaken by international organisations (especially the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)) and certain states. VERTIC's project will develop guidance materials where none exist as well as collate and build on those materials prepared by others. The inclusion of materials relating to NW, BW and CW obligations is intended to aid states to review the effectiveness of their existing national measures, to consider what additional measures may be required and to assist states that may wish to develop a combined approach to national implementation obligations arising under NBC weapons treaties and UNSCR 1540.

The project's two main elements are:

the development of training materials, including a guide to national implementation requirements under the agreements mentioned above, model national laws and/or legislative provisions, and a list of useful resources to help states find further assistance, and
a series of seminars and two regional workshops to raise awareness of implementation obligations and approaches.

The training materials, with additional reference materials and treaty texts, will be available in print, on a CD-Rom and on a dedicated national implementation measures website to be developed by VERTIC later in 2006. These will be available to download free of charge.

The provisional seminar and workshop schedule is:

Project evaluation seminar: London, UK, 29 November 2005
Seminar: Geneva, Switzerland, 9 December 2006
Seminar: New York, US, April 2006
Seminar: Geneva, Switzerland, April 2006
Seminar: London, UK, May 2006
Regional workshop: Middle East, June/July 2006
Regional workshop: North Africa, June/July 2006

For further information about these events, please contact Jez Smith, Assistant Information Officer and Networker.

This project is one of two on national implementation measures that VERTIC is undertaking in 2006. See 'Enhancing national implementation of treaties and norms prohibiting weapons of mass destruction (WMD)' for information about VERTIC's global survey of national implementing measures.

Publications and online resources

VERTIC fact sheets on national implementing measures for WMD agreements
VERTIC has published the first six fact sheets developed for its project to raise states' awareness of the importance of national implementing measures for the major WMD agreements and resolutions. The first introduces VERTIC's project while the second highlights why national implementation of international agreements is important. The other fact sheets provide basic facts about, and guides to the national implementation measures that may be required, for specific treaties.

Introducing VERTIC's project on national implementing measures

Fact sheet 1
Why and what to implement? Ensuring effective national laws on nuclear, biological and chemical weapons
Fact sheet 2
National implementation measures for the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT)
Fact sheet 3
National implementation measures for the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)
Fact sheet 4
National implementation measures for the 1980 Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM)
Fact sheet 5
National implementation measures for the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Forthcoming fact sheets will cover national implementation measures for the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention as well as United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004).

The fact sheets may be downloaded by clicking on the above links. For print versions or for more information about the fact sheets or VERTIC's project, please contact Jane Awford, VERTIC's Information Officer and Networker, by email: jane.awford@vertic.org or by telephone: +44 (0) 20 7065 0880.

Organization helps treaty implementation
Chris Schneidmiller’s article in the 17 February 2006 edition of Global Security Newswire provides an in-depth look at VERTIC’s national implementation measures project, based on interviews with VERTIC arms control and disarmament researchers, Angela Woodward and Andreas Persbo. It includes commentary by Richard Guthrie, chemical and biological warfare project leader for the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and Termsak Chalermpalanupap, Special Assistant to the Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (access article)

VERTIC seminar, Geneva, Switzerland, 9 December 2005
This event was held during the BWC 2005 Meeting of States Parties. Centre staff presented the project to conference participants and outlined some of the conclusions of a seminar to evaluate the project's training materials and activities, held in London on 29 November 2005. They were joined by Mr Adrian Baciu of Interpol.

Angela Woodward, VERTIC's guide to national implementation measures for the BWC (download slides)

Andreas Persbo, Adopting appropriate and effective national measures: technical assistance (download slides)

Adrian Baciu, Technical assistance and training for law enforcement
(download slides)

'A model law: the Biological Weapons and Toxins Crimes Act'
By Christopher B. Harland (ICRC) and Angela Woodward (VERTIC) (published in the International Review of the Red Cross, Vol. 87, No. 859, September 2005, pp. 573-586)

'National measures to implement WMD treaties and norms: the need for international standards and technical assistance'
By Angela Woodward and Andreas Persbo (Report no. 32, Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, May 2005).

The above publications are available in portable document format (PDF) and require the installation of Adobe Reader 4.0 or higher. To download a free copy of the software visit the Adobe website...