Article X of the Convention provides that “the States Parties to this Convention undertake to facilitate and have the right to participate in the fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials, and scientific and technological information for the use of bacteriological (biological) agents and toxins for peaceful purposes. Parties to the Convention in a position to do so shall also co-operate in contributing individually or together with other States or international organisations to the further development and application of scientific discoveries in the field of bacteriology (biology) for the prevention of disease, or for other peaceful purposes“
States Parties also undertake to implement the Convention “in a manner designed to avoid hampering the economic or technological development of States Parties to the Convention or international co-operation in the field of peaceful biological activities”.
Assistance and cooperation activities take place both at the bilateral and multilateral levels under the Convention and help build capacity in less developed countries.
| BWC Sponsorship Programme | Article X reports and database | Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship |
BWC Sponsorship Programme
About
The BWC Sponsorship Programme was established by the Seventh Review Conference (2011) in the framework of Article X of the Convention and has been subsequently renewed.
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 Programme, which is funded by voluntary contributions from States Parties, 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).
It is administered by the BWC Implementation Support Unit (ISU), in consultation with the office-holders of the BWC Meetings.
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. 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.
Applications to the Sponsorship Programme for 2025 will open shortly.
Assistance and Cooperation Database and Article X reports
Assistance and Cooperation Database
To promote the full implementation of Article X, the Seventh Review Conference in 2011 decided to establish a “database to facilitate the exchange of requests for, and offers to provide, assistance and cooperation among States Parties”. The Conference invited States Parties, individually or together with other states or international organizations, “to submit on a voluntary basis to the Implementation Support Unit any requirements, needs or offers for assistance, including in terms of equipment, materials and scientific and technological information regarding the use of biological and toxin agents for peaceful purposes.”
The Conference mandated the Implementation Support Unit to establish and administer a database where the requests and offers would be stored; to facilitate, on request, the exchange of information among States Parties relating to the database and any resulting cooperation and assistance activities; and to report to States Parties on the operation of the database detailing the offers made, requests sought and matches made during a calendar year. As decided by the 2013 Meeting of States Parties, the offers of assistance are publicly available on the BWC website, while the requests for assistance are only available to States Parties (username and password are needed).
States Parties wishing to request assistance or submit offers of assistance are advised to contact the BWC ISU directly (bwc@un.org). The user guide for the database can be found here.
In order for the database to reach its full potential with the aim of comprehensive implementation of Article X, States Parties are encouraged to submit their requests and offers for assistance.
Article X Reports
States Parties have been encouraged “to provide at least biannually appropriate information on how they implement [Article X] to the Implementation Support Unit” by the Seventh and Eighth Review Conference. The ISU collates this information for the reference of States Parties and the documents submitted can be found below.
Youth for Biosecurity Initiative
The global norm against biological weapons cannot be maintained without the meaningful and deliberate inclusion of youth voices in multilateral discussions. As fast-paced innovation in biotechnologies raise global implications for biosecurity, the young scientists of today will be at the forefront of tomorrow’s collective and innovative global solutions.
With continued financial support from the European Union, the Youth for Biosecurity Initiative aims to inform young scientists – in particular from the Global South – about their critical role in biosafety and biosecurity, particularly in bolstering global capacities against the misuse of biological agents.
Activities encourage the development of networks of young professionals and capitalize on training material developed by the European Union, such as e-learning tools developed by the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium. To learn more on the Fellowship, click here.
Youth for Biosecurity Diplomacy Workshop and Fellowship
Established in 2019, the Youth for Biosecurity Initiative seeks to bring together competitively selected young biosecurity specialists from the Global South to reflect on how they envision an innovative and bio-secure future in connection with the BWC. Young professionals are empowered and motivated to promote sustainable change in their professional and academic communities, in line with the BWC’s objectives. All Youth for Biosecurity activities place particular emphasis on encouraging the participation of young women scientists from the Global South in BWC discussions.
From 2019, an annual workshop engaged young scientists and biosafety professionals from developing countries to raise awareness of the BWC, to develop capacities for more effective implementation of the BWC and to facilitate international cooperation for peaceful purposes.
Building on these exchanges, the Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship was launched in 2023 to provide participants with a broader experience by combining online interactive training with an in-person visit to Geneva
Cohorts (2019-2024)
Workshops
Meet the 2021 participants here.
Meet the 2022 participants here.
Fellowship
Meet the 2023 Youth4Biosecurity Fellows.
Meet the 2024 Youth4Biosecurity Fellows.
Youth4Biosecurity Network
Over 120 young scientists from 99 countries have participated in activities organized by the Youth for Biosecurity initiative since 2019.
The Youth for Biosecurity Initiative has partnered with civil society entities to connect the next generations of leaders in the biosecurity community to launch several outcome documents. The documents provide a set of policy recommendations from young leaders to support youth participation in global biosecurity:
Further resources
Applications to the Sponsorship Programme for 2025 will open shortly.