Take Responsibility for Global Biosecurity: Pax Christi International

December 06, 2011: Pax Christi International calls all people of good will to contribute to global peace and justice in general and biosecurity in particular. The lives of substantial numbers of people may be at risk not only through the spread of diseases but through attacks aimed at livestock and food supplies. The international community should take all possible precautions to prevent states, terrorist groups, and individuals from obtaining or using such weapons, said Trevor Griffiths, delegate of Pax Christi International at the United Nations in Geneva. He was making an intervention at the Seventh Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) on Tuesday. The Conference takes place from the 5^th to 22^nd December 2011 in Geneva. Pax Christi International is a Catholic Peace Movement inspired by Catholic Social Teaching.
Pax Christi urged all States to sign and ratify the BTWC, prohibiting the possession or development of biological and toxin weapons.
Pax Christi International pledged support to the continuation of annual meetings of experts and of States Parties started in 2003 and continued in 2006. It also suggested greater flexibility in putting issues on the agenda of Annual Meetings. Annual Meetings of States Parties should be authorised to make decisions on the basis of consensus and as appropriate.
In spite of the Confidence-Building Measures (CBS) agreed by the Second Review Conference in 1986, less than half of all 164 States Parties have submitted annual CBMs until 2010, Pax Christi pointed out.
Pax Christi also support the moves to establish a body of scientists and policy makers entrusted with continuous monitoring of relevant scientific and technological progress. Such body should report its findings periodically for collective review by the Annual Meetings of States Parties to the BTWC.
The mandate of the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) installed at the Sixth Review Conference, should be renewed and extended after evaluation at the Seventh Review Conference in December 2011.
Pax Christi International welcomes initiatives for international cooperation and assistance that contribute to saving lives and minimising suffering. Besides it also pleaded for more efforts by the international community in providing clean drinking water, sanitation and food security also to the poorest people in the least developed countries.
The States Parties to this Convention should agree on a mechanism to provide increased confidence in compliance. During the Seventh Review Conference, a reasonable ambition is to make progress towards an effective compliance regime. The international community will lose credibility if it fails to do so, Pax Christi International warned.