Table top exercise for francophone west african states parties to the biological weapons convention (bwc)

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) through its United Nations Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) and the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), in collaboration  with the Fondation pour la recherche stratégique (Foundation for Strategic Research, FRS), are organizing a table top exercise for Francophone West African States Parties to the BWC. The activity will take place at UNREC headquarters in Lomé (Togo) from 29 to 30 May 2019.

Organized around Article VII of the Convention, the workshop aims to explore the operationalization of assistance to victims in the event that a State Party is exposed to danger as a result of a violation of the Convention’s provisions. Additionally, the exercise aims to enable participants to formulate recommendations that will feed into the discussions of the Meeting of Experts on Assistance, Response and Preparedness scheduled for 6 and 7 August 2019 in Geneva.

The activity is funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and will bring together some 30 experts and official representatives from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo, as well as experts from the United Nations regional organizations and academia.

The BWC entered into force on 26 March 1975. This instrument, which to date (May 2019) has 182 States Parties, obliges them "never in any circumstances to develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise acquire or retain" biological weapons. By Article VII of the Convention, States Parties commit to provide assistance or to facilitate assistance if another State Party is exposed to danger as a result of a violation of the Convention.

The tragedy caused by the West African Ebola epidemic of 2014 and 2015 has contributed to a renewed interest in assistance, response and preparedness issues and this workshop will allow participants to assess factors that will influence the national decision-making process to trigger Article VII and the implications that such a decision might have.

For additional information, please contact:

United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), Tel : (+228) 22 53 50 00

E-mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; Web : www.unrec.org, www.facebook.unrec.org

Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS), 4 Bis, Rue des Pâtures, 75016 Paris – France,

Tél : 01 43 13 77 77 Fax : 01 43 13 77 78, Web : frstrategie.org,