The Sponsorship Programme for Participation in   

Official Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Meetings in 2024 is now open

About 

The Sponsorship Programme supports developing States to send their representatives to official BWC meetings in Geneva. These meetings include the Review Conferences, which take place every five years, as well as meetings that occur in the intersessional period between Review Conferences.

The Sponsorship Programme was established by the Seventh Review Conference (2011) in the framework of Article X of the Convention and subsequently renewed by the Eighth Review Conference (2016) and most recently by the Ninth Review Conference (2022).

The Sponsorship Programme is funded by voluntary contributions from States Parties. It covers the costs associated with the participation of selected individuals in official BWC meetings in Geneva, including roundtrip airfare, terminal expenses and Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA). The Programme is administered by the Convention’s Implementation Support Unit (ISU), in consultation with the Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons of the Meetings of States Parties Priority for sponsorship is given to developing States Parties that have not previously participated in BWC meetings or those that have been unable to regularly send experts from capital. Sponsorship may also be provided, depending on the availability of resources, to enhance participation by States not party to the BWC, in order to promote the universalization of the Convention. 

Meetings and Application Deadlines 

There will only be one call for applications to the Sponsorship Programme in 2024. Apply by 19 April 2024 for all BWC meetings in 2024.

For 2024, the ISU is accepting applications under the Sponsorship Programme for the following official meetings of the BWC:

Meeting	Meeting Dates	Application Deadline
Fourth Session of the Working Group on the strengthening of the Convention	19 – 23 August 2024	19 April 2024
Fifth Session of the Working Group on the strengthening of the Convention	2 – 13 December 2024	19 April 2024
2024 Meeting of States Parties	16 – 18 December 2024	19 April 2024

Who can apply

Priority for sponsorship is given to developing States Parties that have not previously participated in BWC meetings or to those unable to regularly send experts from capital. Sponsorship can also be provided, depending on the availability of resources, to enhance participation by States not party to the BWC, in order to promote the universalization of the Convention.

Nominated experts should:

• Have responsibilities related to BWC implementation within the State (e.g. serving as a designated BWC National Contact Point, be a technical expert from a relevant national institute, officials from government agencies or ministries covering issues relating to the BWC etc.);
• Commit to attending the entirety of the meeting for which sponsorship is requested, as well as the online (1x) and in-situ meetings (1x) organized for the beneficiaries of the Sponsorship Programme (both meetings will be conducted in English);
• Interact actively during the meetings for which they are sponsored, for example by making an intervention on behalf of their State regarding the status of ratification/accession or implementation or reporting on the Convention, working with their Permanent Missions ahead of the meetings to prepare such interventions, promoting collaboration with other States Parties, sharing lessons learnt with other delegates etc.; and
• Be comfortable in at least one of the six official languages of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish).

In order to promote gender equality, applications from female candidates are strongly encouraged.

How to apply  

The deadline for applying to the 2024 Sponsorship Programme is 19 April 2024.
Developing States wishing to apply for sponsorship should:

1. Send a Note Verbale to the ISU (bwc@un.org) no later than 19 April 2024.  The Note Verbale must contain the name of the nominated applicant(s) and the official stamp of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Permanent Mission of the State that the expert(s) will be representing.
2. Ensure that their nominated experts complete the application form available online at here. Applications submitted after the deadline or without a Note Verbale will not be considered.
3. Ensure that applicants contact their Permanent Missions in Geneva (contact details are available here) and their Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming that they have filled the application.

All sponsorship requests will be reviewed by the BWC office holders in accordance with the criteria identified by the Seventh Review Conference and taking into account the availability of resources, after which the applicants will be informed of the outcome ensuring there is enough time for participants to apply for their visas.

If successful, applicants will receive a roundtrip economy class ticket from their country of departure to Geneva for the duration of the selected BWC meeting, funds for Terminal Expenses (for travel to and from the airports of departure and arrival) and a Daily Subsistence Allowance to cover accommodation and meals while in Geneva.

As funding for the Sponsorship Programme is limited, it is likely that not all applications will be successful.

The ISU’s Letter to States Parties is available online here. The Programme’s Explanatory Note is found here.