On December 3-6, 2019, the annual Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (BTWC) is taking place in Geneva.

States Parties to the Convention, relevant international institutions and NGOs are attending the event. The official delegation of our State at the forum comprises representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Permanent Mission of Ukraine in Geneva, Ministry of Health, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medical Sciences, the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Participants of the Meeting are discussing ways to further strengthen the BTWC, ensure national implementation of the mentioned Convention, deepen international cooperation, including in the context of providing technical assistance to States Parties to the Convention to identify and combat threats of pandemic nature and use the results of biological research for peaceful purposes, as well as considering the issues related to the developments of sciences and technologies, which are relevant to the BTWC.

The delegation of Ukraine takes an active part in the discussions: it has, in particular, emphasized the need to further realize educational programs on biosecurity and bioethics; has drawn attention of the international community to the accomplishments of Ukraine in the field of relevant training of scientists in order to minimize bio-risks when working with dangerous biological agents. The Ukrainian side has stressed upon that the rapid advances in science and biotechnology, as well as the potential threat of “dual” use of biological agents make it necessary to further consolidate endeavours aimed at solving biosecurity issues not only at national, but also international level. The participants of the meeting have been informed about Ukraine’s significant experience gained in this sphere, which could be used as a model to be followed by other interested countries.

Furthermore, Y.Klymenko, Head of the Ukrainian delegation, Permanent Representative of Ukraine in Geneva, has expressed worries about the collections of microorganisms at the crucial facilities of Ukraine’s biosecurity system, currently located on the temporarily occupied, as a result of the Russian aggression, territories of our State. As it has been additionally stressed upon, these concerns are even further increased in connection with the alarming militarization by the occupying country of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and ongoing hostilities by illegal armed formations, supported by the occupation administration, in the southeast of Ukraine. The Ukrainian side called upon the international community to scrutinize the situation around the above-mentioned elements of the biosecurity system of Ukraine on its temporarily occupied territories, as well as proposed to elaborate within the Convention a mechanism to prevent undermining by a BTWC State Party a biosafety and biosecurity system of another State Party.