Biological Weapons Convention (BWC): Summary of Proposals Within the U.S. Alternatives Package

1(a). National Criminal Legislation – Requires States Parties to enact legislation to make it a criminal offense for any person to engage in activities prohibited by the BWC and to enhance their extradition obligations with respect to BW offenses.

1(b). Standards for Security of pathogenic Microorganisms – Requires States Parties to (a) adopt and implement strict regulations for access to particularly dangerous microorganisms, including regulations governing domestic and international transfers; and (b) report internationally any releases or adverse events that could impact other countries.

1(c). Genetic Engineering Oversight – Requires States Parties to sensitize scientists to the risks of genetic engineering, and to explore national oversight of high-risk experiments.

1(d). Professional Code of Conduct – Requires States Parties to develop and adopt a code of conduct for scientists working with pathogenic micro-organisms, possibly building upon existing ethical codes.

2. Measures to Strengthen Article V (Consultation and Cooperation):

2(a). Mechanism for Investigation of Suspicious Outbreaks of Disease – Establishes a procedure for international investigations of suspicious disease outbreaks and/or alleged BW incidents. Requires States Parties to accept international expert inspectors upon determination by UN Secretary General.

2(b). Cooperative Mechanism for Addressing Compliance Concerns – Sets up a voluntary cooperative mechanism for clarifying and resolving compliance concerns by mutual consent, to include exchanges of information, visits, or other procedures to clarify and resolve doubts about compliance.

3. Measures to Strengthen Article VII (Assistance to Victims) and Article X (Technical and Scientific Cooperation):

3(a). Biosafety Standards – Requires States Parties to adopt and implement strict biosafety procedures, based on World Health Organization (WHO) or equivalent national guidelines.

3(b). Infectious Disease Surveillance – Commits States Parties to support WHO’s global disease surveillance and response capabilities.

3(c). International Rapid Response Teams – Commits States Parties to provide rapid emergency medical and investigative assistance, if requested, in the event of a serious outbreak of infectious disease, and to indicate in advance what types of assistance a State Party would be prepared to provide.