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The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) continues its efforts to strengthen the United Nations Secretary-General's Mechanism for the Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons (UNSGM), including through outreach activities to increase nominations of experts and laboratories to the UNSGM roster and training activities for those already on the roster.

The UNSGM is the only international mechanism for investigation of alleged use of biological weapons, although it is not a standing body. Instead, this important mechanism relies on the support of UN Member States. As custodian of the UNSGM, UNODA regularly sends a request to all Member States for nominations of experts and analytical laboratories for the UNSGM roster, and Member States may submit or update nominations at any time with a note verbale.

Member States can also support the UNSGM by hosting training events in coordination with UNODA to provide the experts with additional knowledge and skills needed to operate as a cohesive UN team in challenging field conditions to carry out their mandate. The offer to host such events is independent of the nomination of experts or analytical laboratories to the roster, and thanks to generous support from donors such as Canada, Japan and the EU, UNODA can cover all or part of the costs of such exercises.

In late June 2022, UNODA will support a basic training course hosted by South Africa for a group of qualified experts on the roster. UNODA will also support the Capstone field exercise for experts on the UNSGM roster, which will be hosted by Germany in September 2022. Additional events, including an in-person advanced skills training course in New York as well as virtual events for experts and UN focal points in late 2022, are currently being planned.

Another key component of UNODA's efforts to strengthen the UNSGM is outreach activities to ensure a balanced membership on the roster. In March, UNODA organized an outreach workshop on the UNSGM for ASEAN Member States in Geneva. UNODA also organized online outreach seminars for representatives from African, Latin American and Caribbean States in March 2022. With these activities, UNODA aimed to clarify the nomination process for the UNSGM roster, the roles and responsibilities of experts and laboratories nominated, and the different ways in which UN Member States can support the UNSGM.

Member States’ support is critical to UNODA’s efforts to maintain and strengthen the UNSGM. In addition to nominating experts and analytical laboratories to the roster and cooperating in hosting training events, as outlined above, Member States can also support the mechanism through financial support for activities and political support for preserving the independence and strengthening the preparedness of UNSGM. Going forward, UNODA is actively looking for countries that would be interested in hosting future training courses (including offering a location/venue) for the UNSGM starting in 2023.

To stay informed of relevant updates and activities, please sign up for UNODA’s newsletter on the UNSGM. The next issue will be published in July 2022. More information on the mandate, background and training can be found on the UNSGM website. Please reach out to UNSGM@un.org if interested and/or with any questions.