Disarmament in Review
From 26 to 27 September, the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) for the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) within the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and Committee for Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety under the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan, jointly organized a national workshop on the implementation of the Convention in Tashkent. The purpose of the workshop was to deepen understanding of the BWC, to share effective practices relating to the preparation of Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs), and to inform participants about capacity-building opportunities available to strengthen biosafety and biosecurity.
A total of 35 participants attended the two-day workshop, including representatives from several Uzbek ministries and institutions, university students, and experts from Hungary and Tajikistan and staff from the ISU. Representatives from the Regional Secretariat for Central Asia of the European Union’s CBRN Centre of Excellence and the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) also participated in the workshop.
Workshop participants shared effective practices on the domestic implementation of the Convention as well as information concerning the preparation of the annual CBM report. Mr. Otabek Kasimov, Chief Specialist of the Committee for Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety and designated BWC National Contact Point of Uzbekistan, underlined the importance of the BWC and informed participants about actions taken at the national level towards its implementation. Experts from Hungary and Tajikistan also highlighted effective domestic Convention implementation practices as well as valuable lessons on national CBM preparation processes.
During the workshop, participants also identified opportunities for technical assistance and capacity-building support and highlighted the need for further bolstering biosecurity in Uzbekistan. As noted by several participants, the workshop represented the first opportunity to engage on BWC-related issues. Hence, several experts expressed their strong interest in the subject matter and wished to learn more about the Convention and its implementation.
Financial support for the workshop was provided by the United Kingdom. Additional information on the BWC is available here.
