The list of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention encompasses the states which have signed and ratified or acceded to the
Biological Weapons Convention
The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), or Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), is a disarmament treaty that effectively bans biological and toxin weapons by prohibiting their development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpil ...
(BWC), a
multilateral treaty
A multilateral treaty is a treaty to which two or more sovereign states are parties. Each party owes the same obligations to all other parties, except to the extent that they have stated reservation (law), reservations. Examples of multilateral tre ...
outlawing
biological weapons
A biological agent (also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon) is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterrorism ...
.
On 10 April 1972, the BWC was opened for signature. The
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
became the first state to deposit their signature of the treaty that same day. The treaty closed for signature upon
coming into force
In law, coming into force or entry into force (also called commencement) is the process by which legislation, regulations, treaties and other legal instruments come to have legal force and effect. The term is closely related to the date of this t ...
on 26 March 1975 with the deposit of ratification by 22 states. Since then, states that did not sign the BWC can only accede to it.
A total of 197 states may become members of the BWC, including all 193
United Nations member states
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
, the
Cook Islands
)
, image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, capital = Avarua
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Avarua
, official_languages =
, lan ...
, the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
, the
State of Palestine
Palestine ( ar, فلسطين, Filasṭīn), Legal status of the State of Palestine, officially the State of Palestine ( ar, دولة فلسطين, Dawlat Filasṭīn, label=none), is a state (polity), state located in Western Asia. Officiall ...
and
Niue
Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...
. As of May 2022, 184 states have ratified or acceded to the treaty, most recently
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
in February 2022.
As well, the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
(Taiwan), which is currently only recognized by , deposited their instruments of ratification of the BWC with the United States government prior to the US's decision to
switch their recognition of the
sole legitimate government of China from the Republic of China (ROC) to the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
(PRC). A further five states have signed but not ratified the treaty.
Several countries made
reservations when ratifying the agreement declaring that it did not imply their complete satisfaction that the BWC allows the stockpiling of biological agents and toxins for "
prophylactic
Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...
, protective or other peaceful purposes", nor should it imply recognition of other countries they do not recognise.
States Parties
According to the treaties database maintained by the
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) (french: Bureau des affaires du désarmement) is an Office of the United Nations Secretariat established in January 1998 as the Department for Disarmament Affairs, part of United Nations Secretary-Gen ...
, as of May 2022, 184 states have ratified or acceded to the BWC.
However, the status of the succession of a number of additional states to the BWC is unclear. For further details, see the
Succession of colonies to the BWC section below.
Multiple dates indicate the different days in which states submitted their signature or deposition, varied by location. This location is noted by: (L) for London, (M) for Moscow, and (W) for Washington D.C.
;Notes
State with limited recognition, abiding by treaty
The
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
(Taiwan), which is currently only recognized by , deposited their instruments of ratification of the BWC with the United States government prior to the US's decision to
switch their recognition of the
sole legitimate government of China from the Republic of China (ROC) to the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
(PRC) in 1971. When the PRC subsequently ratified the treaty, they described the ROC's ratification as "illegal". The ROC has committed itself to continue to adhere to the requirements of the treaty, and the United States has declared that they still consider them to be "bound by its obligations".
Signatory states
The following four states have signed, but not ratified the BWC.
[
;Notes
]
Non-signatory states
The following 9 UN member states
The United Nations member states are the sovereign states that are members of the United Nations (UN) and have equal representation in the United Nations General Assembly, UN General Assembly. The UN is the world's largest international o ...
have neither signed nor ratified the BWC.[
;Notes
]
Succession of colonies to the BWC
The status of several former dependent territories
A dependent territory, dependent area, or dependency (sometimes referred as an external territory) is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a sovereign state, yet remains politically outside the controlli ...
of a state party to the BWC, whose administrating power ratified the Convention on their behalf, with regards to the Convention following their independence is currently unclear. According to the Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties (to which 22 states are party), "newly independent states" (a euphemism for former colonies) receive a "clean slate", such that the new state does not inherit the treaty obligations of the colonial power, but that they may join multilateral treaties to which their former colonizers were a party without the consent of the other parties in most circumstances. Conversely, in "cases of separation of parts of a state" (a euphemism for all other new states), the new state remains bound by the treaty obligations of the state from which they separated. To date, this Convention has only been ratified by 22 states.
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
attached a territorial declaration
Declaration may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Declaration'' (book), a self-published electronic pamphlet by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri
* ''The Declaration'' (novel), a 2008 children's novel by Gemma Malley
Music ...
to their instrument of ratification of the BWC in 1975 stating in part that it applied to:
This declaration bound the territories of Kiribati
Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),[Kiribati]
''The Wor ...
and Tuvalu
Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast ...
to the terms of the Convention.[ Following their independence, none of these states have made unambiguous declarations of succession to the BWC.][ ]Dominica
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
and Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
's statuses were likewise ambiguous from their independence until 2016.
Kiribati
In 1979, Kiribati gained their independence and subsequently, the President of Kiribati
The president of Kiribati ( gil, Beretitenti) is the head of state and head of government of Kiribati.
Following a general election, by which citizens elect the members of the House of Assembly, members select from their midst "not less than 3 ...
sent a note to the UNSG stating that:[
Since then, none of the depositaries for the BWC has received an instrument of accession or succession to the Convention from Kiribati.] However, the Government of Kiribati has made statements suggesting that it does not consider itself a party to the treaty.[
]
Tuvalu
Following independence in 1978, the Prime Minister of Tuvalu
The prime minister of Tuvalu is the head of government of Tuvalu. According to Tuvalu's constitution, the prime minister must always be a member of the parliament, and is elected by parliament in a secret ballot. Because there are no political ...
sent a note to the UNSC stating that:[
Since then, none of the depositaries for the BWC has received an instrument of accession or succession to the Convention from Tuvalu.] However, the Government of Tuvalu has made statements suggesting that it does not consider itself a party to the treaty.[
]
Dominica
After becoming independent in 1978, the Prime Minister of Dominica
The prime minister of Dominica is the head of government in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Nominally, the position was created on November 3, 1978 when Dominica gained independence from the United Kingdom. Hitherto, the position existed de facto ...
sent a note to the Secretary-General of the United Nations
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-g ...
(UNSG) stating that:
The Government of Dominica later stated that it did not consider itself bound by the Convention.[ However, Dominica was listed as a state party to the BWC in documents from the Meetings of the States Parties to the BWC.][ The UK Treaty Office (as ]depositary
In international law, a depositary is a government or organization to which a multilateral treaty is entrusted. The principal functions of a depositary are codified in Article 77 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
Belgium
Belgium's M ...
) did not receive an instrument of succession from Dominica until 2016.[
]
Vanuatu
In 1980, the territory gained their independence. Vanuatu was listed as a state party to the BWC in documents from the Meetings of the States Parties to the BWC,[ however the Government of Vanuatu made statements suggesting that it did not consider itself a party to the treaty][ and the UK depositary had no record of receiving an instrument of succession to the BWC from Vanuatu until 2016.]
See also
* List of parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
* List of parties to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
* List of parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
* List of parties to the Ottawa Treaty
This is a list of states that have signed and ratified or acceded to the Ottawa Treaty (also known as the Mine Ban Treaty). The treaty, which outlaws anti-personnel mines, was opened for signature on December 3, 1997. Canada, Ireland, and Mauritiu ...
* List of parties to the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
The list of parties to the Partial Test Ban Treaty encompasses the states who have signed and ratified or acceded to the international agreement prohibiting all test detonations of nuclear weapons except underground.
On August 5, 1963, the Par ...
* List of parties to weapons of mass destruction treaties
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biological Weapons Convention
Arms control treaties
Biological warfare
Lists of parties to treaties