The Biological Weapons Convention was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of WMD.

 Biological weapons disseminate disease-causing organisms or toxins to harm or kill humans, animals, or plants. They can be deadly and highly contagious. Diseases caused by biological weapons would not confine themselves to national borders and could spread rapidly around the world. In the 20th century, use of biological weapons was seen by individuals and groups committing criminal acts or targeted assassinations, biological warfare by States, and the accidental release of pathogens from laboratories. In 1975, the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) entered into force. It effectively prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of biological and toxin weapons. As such, the BWC is a key element in the international community’s efforts to address Weapon of Mass Destruction proliferation and has established a strong norm against biologicalweapons. 



This photo shows Youth4Biosecurity Fellows visiting the Spiez Laboratory in 2024. This Swiss institute works for the protection of the population against nuclear, biologicaland chemical threats and dangers.





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