The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025, a historical milestone for the first treaty to ban an entire class of weapons. Despite major shortcomings and barriers, the BWC remains a stalwart bulwark against the deliberate misuse of biology. In this special feature, experts from around the world highlight critical challenges and opportunities for the BWC, honoring the treaty’s first half-century and drawing lessons from past experiences, but more importantly, looking ahead to envision the next 50 years of biological weapons disarmament and nonproliferation.
Implementation Support Unit. Ninth Review Conference 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. The overall financial status of the Convention and financial implications of proposals for follow-on action after the Ninth Review Conference. Published February 14, 2022. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://docs.un.org/en/BWC/CONF.IX/PC/4
3.
Ninth Review Conference 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. Final document of the Ninth Review Conference. Published December 22, 2022. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://docs.un.org/en/BWC/CONF.IX/9
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Technical Secretariat: facilitating the implementation of the Convention. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.opcw.org/about/technical-secretariat
TörökTJ, TauxeRV, WiseRP, et al.A large community outbreak of salmonellosis caused by intentional contamination of restaurant salad bars. JAMA., 1997; 278(5):389-395.
16.
Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction. United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://front.un-arm.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BWC-text-English-1.pdf
