UNODA welcomes high-ranking officials from the Union of Comoros to promote the universalization and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

On 15 and 16 March 2023, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) hosted a high-level parliamentary delegation from the Union of Comoros at its offices in Geneva. This first-of-a-kind visit took place within the context of UNODA’s efforts to promote the universalization of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in Africa, where six States, including the Union of Comoros, are not yet parties to the Convention.

The two-day visit began with a meeting with Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, who highlighted the important contribution the BWC makes to international peace and security and the need to achieve universalization. The delegation of the Union of Comoros, composed of two vice-presidents of the Comorian National Assembly, then met with ambassadors and permanent representatives of two BWC depository governments, the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), as well as permanent representatives of Côte d’Ivoire, France, Italy, Morocco and the European Union. These high-level bilateral meetings were a unique opportunity for the delegation to be briefed on the importance of the BWC and to explore opportunities for international and regional cooperation to support its implementation. In addition to UNODA briefings on the Convention and the benefits of adhering thereto, the high-level visit included a segment during which the delegation attended, as observers, the first meeting of the BWC Working Group on Strengthening the Convention.

In her opening remarks to the delegation, the Chief of Service of UNODA’s Geneva Office, Mélanie Régimbal, emphasized the importance of achieving universalization of the BWC in Africa and the strong message Comoros’ accession would send, noting that “with the recent accessions of Namibia and South Sudan, there is strong momentum for the universalization of the Convention in Africa”. She also highlighted Comoros’ unique opportunity, during its presidency of the African Union, “to strengthen this momentum and promote the key contributions of the BWC to peace, security and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

Organized by the Geneva Branch of UNODA, this visit took place within the framework of a four-year project implemented by UNODA with funding from the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. More information on the project is available here.

Questions may be directed to bwc@un.org.