International Bioterror Policy

Ambassador Grace Asirwatham, the deputy director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, visited Croatia to inaugurate the 12th Regional Meeting of National Authorities in Eastern Europe on May 13 and 14. The OPCW is an intergovernmental organization … Read More…

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Director-General Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Sunday to discuss implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention to officials. Üzümcü addressed senior government officials at the King Fahd Hall at … Read More…

Staff from the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs visited Angola officials in Luanda in April to discuss their accession into the Biological Weapons Convention and Chemical Weapons Convention. After much advocacy from government bodies, the Angolan Ministry of Foreign … Read More…

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed their work together on Syria and the accusations of chemical weapon use during Kerry’s visit to Moscow on Tuesday. Kerry, Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin conducted … Read More…

The Organisation for the Proliferation of Chemical Weapons held two workshops in Luanda on April 22 and 23 to help support Angola’s accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Angola has publicly claimed their intention … Read More…

Georges Chikoti, the foreign minister of Angola, recently opened two workshops in Luanda, Angola designed to support the country’s adoption of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. The CWC is an agreement to destroy chemical … Read More…

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said during observance of the Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare on Monday that the deceased lay dead without honor until chemical weapons have been eradicated. “This year’s observance is especially timely, as … Read More…

The second preparatory conference of the U.N. Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty began on Monday by addressing international concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and North Korea’s alleged nuclear threats. Head of the U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs Angela Kane expressed … Read More…

The Third Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention ended Friday, with a consensus on a final two-part document to carry out an “unequivocal agreement” against chemical weapons. The two parts of the newly adopted document commit member states to … Read More…

Rose Gottemoeller, the U.S. acting under secretary for arms control and international security, presented a statement last week during the third session of the Chemical Weapons Convention Review Conference. Gottemoeller praised the progress the CWC made in the last 15 … Read More…

The G8 foreign ministers, a group of nations with a broad range of global interests, met in London on Wednesday and Thursday to address multiple international issues, including the Syrian conflict. The ministers condemned the use of heavy weapons in … Read More…

Ahmet Üzümcü, the director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, spoke last week on the importance of a universal Chemical Weapons Convention in light of recent events in Syria. Üzümcü spoke along with U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon … Read More…

Pakistan participated in the third review conference for the Chemical Weapons Convention on Monday in The Hague. Ambassador Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, the leader of Pakistan’s CWC delegation, delivered the national statement at the conference. Chaudhry discussed the steps taken by … Read More…

The International Committee of the Red Cross gave a statement during the Third Special Review of the Chemical Weapons Convention on Wednesday, urging for compliance to the agreement on the elimination of chemical weapons. The CWC initially established prohibition on … Read More…

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to Syrian authorities on Tuesday to extend their fullest cooperation and allow a chemical weapons investigation to proceed. “I regret that the Government of Syria has not yet agreed to the modalities I have … Read More…

The Assad regime in Syria refused to adhere to a planned chemical weapons inspection by a United Nations team on Monday, accusing the U.N. of broadening its original mandate. Assad’s government originally asked the U.N .to inspect an area near … Read More…

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons recently held a regional workshop on assistance and protection against chemical weapons for representatives of state parties in Africa. The workshop, co-organized by the government of Mazambique and the OPCW in Maputo, … Read More…

North Korea warned on Tuesday that it had placed its rocket and long-range artillery units on “highest alert” and is prepared to strike South Korea and U.S. military bases in Guam and Hawaii. The Pentagon said that it is taking … Read More…

A U.N. appointment of a Swedish scientist who will probe chemical weapons allegations in Syria was recently approved by the Syrian government. An Al Arabiya correspondent, quoting officials sources, said that the U.N. investigation team is expected to arrive in … Read More…

Extremists have gained greater access to the technology and information needed to create and spread biological and chemical agents, according to Charles Farr, the director of the U.K.’s Office for Security and Counterterrorism. Farr, speaking as part of an official … Read More…

Russia clashed with France and Britain on Wednesday at the U.N. Security Council over an investigation into allegations of chemical weapon use by both Syria and the Syrian opposition. Russia supports a Syrian request to investigate an alleged chemical weapons … Read More…

The director of the Israeli Defense Force said on Thursday that Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime is making preparations to use chemical weapons in a speech at the 13th Annual Herzliya Conference in Israel. Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi spoke before 4,000 … Read More…

A recent analysis of the risks posed by bioterrorism or a potential pandemic states that the chances of either occurring are very low and the key to containing them is preparedness, communication and science. Rebecca Keller of Stratfor says media … Read More…

The European Union recently opened a regional secretariat of the EU Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Center for Excellence in the Malacañang Palace, the Philippine executive administration office. The center is the second regional secretariat opened by the EU, which … Read More…

The Executive Secretary of the Philippines recently called for greater regional cooperation against the threat of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons. At a meeting held at the Malacañang Palace in the Philippines, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Jr. told delegates … Read More…

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with Israeli Minister of Defense Ehud Barak this week for Hagel’s first meeting with a foreign counterpart since taking office. During the meeting, the leaders discussed a wide range of security interests shared … Read More…

Pakistan’s Institute of Policy Studies recently held a seminar on the country’s role as a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention and its effort to end the threat of chemical warfare. Several of the attendees, made up of security experts, … Read More…

Botswana’s Ministry of Justice and Security is putting together a draft bill to take to parliament that would ban chemical weapons. During a stakeholder workshop on Thursday in Gaborone, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Segakweng Tsiane said that the draft … Read More…

The United States and the United Kingdom have developed advanced plans to either seize or destroy Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile if the country collapses further. Experts said that the most likely way to prevent the arsenal from falling into the … Read More…

The Western Health and Social Care Trust, a healthcare corporation in Northern Ireland, is planning for the risk of a potential chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear terror attack at the June G8 Summit to be held at Fermanagh. At a … Read More…

The European Defense Agency and the European Commission recently announced that they will organize and chair a workshop to present their accomplishments in the field of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protection research. Specifically, the EDA and EC hope to … Read More…

The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency announced a sole source contract last week with the Diagnostic Microbiology Development Program, a non-profit organization with the mission of improving capabilities in Cambodian microbiologic laboratories. The contract is the first Cooperative Biological Engagement … Read More…