OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek supports Kyrgyzstan’s implementation of Biological Weapons Convention

The Programme Office in Bishkek supported a two-day roundtable discussion on implementation issues of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in the context of Kyrgyzstan’s National Action Plan (NAP) on 7 and 8 September in Kosh-Kol village, Issyk-Kul region. 

The discussion involved all state institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic responsible for the NAP’s implementation, including the General Staff of Armed Forces, the Ministries of Economy and Health, the State Inspectorate on Veterinary and Phytosanitary Security, the National Academy of Science and officials from state border and customs services. Representatives of the Belarus Health Ministry and the UN BWC Implementation Support Unit also took part.

The participants discussed the inputs of the state agencies and other stakeholders to the implementation of Kyrgyzstan’s NAP on the BWC. They developed recommendations on the national regulatory framework for its implementation, exchanged best practices and agreed on responsibilities and duties of the agencies and other stakeholders. They also discussed Kyrgyzstan’s implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540 on weapons of mass destruction in accordance with its renewed 1540 Action Plan. 

Hermann Lampalzer, Deputy Head of the UN BWC Implementation Support Unit, emphasized that “the Biological Weapons Convention represents one of the fundamental pillars in multilateral disarmament and full implementation of the BWC at the national level is crucial to mitigating the threats posed by such weapons.” He also said that the Convention’s provisions and UNSCR 1540-related obligations complement each other and strengthen the regime against weapons of mass destruction.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 adopted on 28 April 2004, seeks to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems by non-State actors. The OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation adopted Decision No. 4/15 on the OSCE’s role in support of United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004)

New National Action Plan for the Implementation of UNSCR 1540, developed with the expert assistance of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, UN Office of Disarmament Affairs and UN 1540 Committee was approved by governmental decree on 24 July 2017. The previous National Action Plan was launched in 2013 and the Kyrgyz government has implemented more than 70% of its provisions.