Disarmament in Review
From 13 to 14 January 2025 in Nouakchott, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Radiation Protection, Nuclear Safety and Security Authority (ARSN) of Mauritania jointly organized a national workshop on strengthening the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).
This was the first workshop of its kind in Mauritania since it joined the BWC in 2015. Mauritania has made significant progress towards BWC implementation prior to the event including the nomination a BWC National Contact Point (NCP) in 2023 and the submission of its first Confidence-Building Measures (CBM) report a year later. Building on this positive momentum, the workshop provided an opportunity to involve more national stakeholders in BWC implementation, to raise awareness about the Convention, to strengthen the CBM preparation process and to conduct a national review of the draft BWC law that was prepared by the ARSN.
The workshop was opened by the General Secretary of the Mauritanian Ministry of Health, H.E. Ms. El Alia Yahya Mankouss, and was attended by 35 national stakeholders representing a variety of national institutions involved in BWC implementation. Under the leadership of the ARSN, such high-level and diverse representation was key to the comprehensive review of Mauritania’s draft BWC law. Based on its desktop legal review and recommendations prior to the workshop, UNODA conducted an article-by-article discussion of the law, incorporating inputs from all stakeholders present and resulting in a consolidated draft.
In the margins of the workshop, UNODA visited the ARSN training centre at the University of Nouakchott and held discussions with the President of the University. The visit afforded an opportunity to discuss Mauritania’s ambitions to set up biosecurity trainings and certifications for professionals as well as students. The ARSN and the University of Nouakchott have expressed interest in UNODA’s education initiatives such as the Youth for Biosecurity Initiative and in the virus detection and biosecurity courses jointly organized with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). Opportunities for further assistance under Article X of the Convention were also discussed and will be further explored in the coming months.
With this workshop, Mauritania confirmed its emergence as a regional BWC champion. In a three-year period, Mauritania has made great strides in effectively implementing the BWC at the national level, gathering best practices and lessons learned along the way, which could be shared with other States Parties in the region in the context of future UNODA activities. Illustrating its commitment to a stronger BWC, Mauritania has also submitted its 2025 CBM, becoming the first State Party to submit its report this year.
The workshop was supported by member countries of the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.
