Every five years, states parties of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (BWC) meet for a Review Conference to ensure that the agreement remains relevant in light of changing circumstances. The decision-making procedure at such conferences and their exact legal impact however often remains opaque to observers.

The 9th such Review Conference of the BWC took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 28 November to 16 December 2022. On 12 December 2022, during the last week of the conference, CBWNet researchers Kristoffer Burck, Barry de Vries and Sannimari Veini organized a side event to present their research on “The Legal Effect of the BWC Review Conferences”.

The CBWNet researchers addressed legal processes and responded to questions from diplomatic delegations and civil society representatives, many of which were related to potential implications of different decision-making procedures.

The side event was based on CBWNet Working Paper which can be found here. Slides of the event are available here.