Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

  • Context:   

  • External Affairs Minister (EAM) addressed a conference marking the 50th anniversary of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in New Delhi. 

  • He warned that the world is not adequately prepared for bioterrorism and highlighted the risk of non-state actors utilizing biological agents. 

  • India is “committed to ensuring the non-proliferation of sensitive and dual-use goods and technologies”. 

  • About Biological Weapons Convention (BWC): 

  • Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) is a legally binding treaty that effectively prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of biological and toxin weapons. 

  • It is the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). 

  • It was opened for signature in 1972 and entered into force in on March 26, 1975. 

  •  It currently has 187 state parties including Palestine and the Holy See, and four signatories (Egypt, Haiti, Somalia, and Syria).  

  • Six states have neither signed nor ratified the BWC (Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Israel, and Kiribati). 

  • The BWC supplements the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which had prohibited only the use of biological weapons 

  • Unlike the Chemical Weapons Convention, the BWC lacks a verification mechanism or a compliance system to monitor violations. 

  • Biological weapons: 

  • Biological weapons (BWs) are pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi) or toxins deliberately used to cause illness, death, or ecological damage in humans, animals, or plants. 

  • They generally consist of two parts – a weaponized agent and a delivery mechanism. 

  • Any disease-causing organism (such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, or rickettsiae) or toxin (poisons derived from animals, plants, or microorganisms, or similar substances produced synthetically) can be used in biological weapons. 

  • Ricin toxin, which was recently used Delhi blast (November 2025) is considered to be biological weapon. 

  • Dual-Use Goods & Wassenaar Arrangement: 

  • Dual-Use Goods:  

  • These are goods, software, and technology that can be used for both civilian (peaceful) and military (hostile) purposes. 

  • Wassenaar Arrangement:  

  • It is a voluntary export control regime that monitors transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies to prevent destabilizing accumulations. 

  • India is a member of the Wassenaar Arrangement and is committed to ensuring the non-proliferation of sensitive dual-use technologies through a strong national legal framework.