In order to fully implement the BWC, States Parties are obliged to translate the commitments found in the Convention into effective national action. Article IV of the Convention requires each State Party to "take any necessary measures to prohibit and prevent the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition, or retention of the agents, toxins, weapons, equipment and means of delivery specified in Article I of the Convention, within the territory of such State, under its jurisdiction or under its control anywhere". These necessary measures depend on the circumstances and legal systems of each State Party, and as such there can be different approaches to implementing the provisions of the Convention nationally.

The Seventh Review Conference called upon States Parties “to adopt, in accordance with their constitutional processes, legislative, administrative, judicial and other measures, including penal legislation” to enhance domestic implementation and ensure the safety and security of microbial or other biological agents or toxins. To strengthen the implementation of Article IV, States Parties agreed upon the value of:

• Implementing voluntary management standards on biosafety and biosecurity
• Encouraging the promotion of awareness of obligations to the Convention as well as relevant national legislation amongst those working in the biological sciences and related professionals in the private and public sectors
• Encouraging the development of education programmes and voluntary codes of conduct to promote a culture of responsibility for those with access to biological agents and toxins relevant to the Convention
• Strengthening methods and capacities for surveillance and detection of outbreaks of disease at the national, regional and international levels

Official Documents on National Implementation

BWC/MSP/2007/MX/INF.1 Previous Agreements, Understandings and Proposals on Enhancing National Implementation - Submitted by the Implementation Support Unit

BWC/MSP/2007/MX/INF.1/Corr.1 Previous Agreements, Understandings and Proposals on Enhancing National Implementation - Submitted by the Implementation Support Unit

BWC/MSP/2007/5 Report of the Meeting of States Parties

The ISU has prepared a document containing the obligations derived from the Convention, agreements reached by review conferences and common understandings identified at Meetings of States Parties.

National Contact Points

In order to improve implementation efforts, States Parties agreed to designate, and inform the Implementation Support Unit of, national contact points for:

• Coordinating national implementation and communicating with other States Parties and relevant international organizations;
• Preparing and submitting Confidence-Building Measures;
• Exchanging information on universalization efforts.

To assist States Parties in this task, the Implementation Support Unit has developed a nomination form for National Points of Contact. The current contact details provided by States Parties can be found in the restricted access area of this website.

National Implementation Database

This section also includes data on the measures and activities currently employed by States Parties. The National Implementation Database (NID) details the domestic legislation enforced by States Parties. It also includes several examples of how certain States Parties have chosen to operationalize their laws and regulations.

In Addition to the NID, the Compendiums of National Approaches contain information provided by States Parties on how they translate national implementation measures into effective action. These compendiums are more descriptive than the list of national legislation or regulations found in the National Implementation Database. They are collated from background information, working papers, presentations and statements, and include operational details such as which organisations, departments or authorities are involved and what roles they play in implementing the Convention. They are categorised by the topics of annual meetings in the 2007 to 2011 intersessional process and are sorted by state.

Current Compendiums of National Approaches include:

• Compendium of National Approaches to Biosafety and Biosecurity

• Compendium of National Approaches to Oversight of Science, Education and Awareness Raising

• Compendium of National Approaches to in the fields of disease surveillance, detection, diagnosis, and containment of infectious diseases (including efforts to build capacity

Additions, corrections and ammendments are welcomed by the Implementation Support Unit.