On 14-15 February 2013, UNLIREC and the Verification, Research,
Training and Information Centre (VERTIC), joined forces to assist Colombia
in its implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC).
This two-day workshop was the result of an official request by the
country and was carried out in collaboration with the Colombian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
The workshop brought together national representatives from all sectors
of the Government including the health, commerce as well as the security and
justice sectors. Several research and investigation organizations as well as
private industry representatives also participated in this innovative workshop
to discuss and review the main obligations contained in the BTWC.
Representatives from UNLIREC, VERTIC and the BTWC Implementation Support
Unit provided national authorities with technical and legal guidance for the
drafting of new legislation related to biological weapons. VERTIC’s
comprehensive legal diagnostic served as the basis for the debate. The 2012
study compares current national legislation with the provisions found in the
BTWC. The Seminar also provided an opportunity to discuss the creation of a national
commission which would be responsible for the coordination and monitoring of
the implementation of the BTWC. As a result of the Workshop, an informal
working group chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was formed. This
working group will spearhead the establishment of the national commission and
legal reform process. The working group will also be responsible for the
preparation and submission of Colombia’s 2013 Confidence Building Measures
Forms.
The UNLIREC and VERTIC partnership will continue to focus on raising
awareness among States in the region of the obligations set out under the BTWC
and providing legal assistance in the revision and drafting of national
legislation to ensure consistency with the obligations found in the BTWC Convention,
as well as other non-proliferation instruments.
For further information on UNLIREC,
visit (www.unlirec.org).
For inquiries please contact: Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer mailto:cowl@unlirec.org