The Meeting of States Parties (MSP) to the Convention on Biological Weapons, which concluded its four-day session in Geneva today unanimously endorsed Sri Lanka as the Chair of the Meeting of States Parties to be held in 2020. 

Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador A.L.A. Azeez takes over the Chairmanship of the 2020 States Parties’ Meeting from Ambassador Yann Hwang of France, the outgoing Chair.

Sri Lanka’s chairmanship, as the Convention marks 45 years of its entry into force next year and as the State Parties convene throughout 2020 a series of expert meetings and preparatory meetings building up towards the Ninth Review Conference in 2021, is highly significant for strengthening international cooperation and assistance to fully realize its objectives alongside universalization and sustained focus on national implementation.

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, popularly known as Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) prohibits biological and toxin weapons through their entire cycle, and is a key element in the international community’s efforts to address the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and States Parties’ endeavors to improve national security in an increasingly volatile global environment.