Joint Ministerial Statement on the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
The Government of the United Kingdom, in its capacity as a State Party to the BTWC, issues the following statement:
The following joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of Hungary, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States was delivered by Ambassador György Molnár (Hungary) at a plenary session of the United Nations First Committee at UN Headquarters in New York on October 17, 2016. States Parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention will hold their Eighth Review Conference in Geneva November 7-25, 2016, and Ambassador Molnar will serve as its President.
The Foreign Ministers of Hungary, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, underline the fundamental importance of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention as a key pillar of international security and of the pressing need to enhance its effectiveness. The Foreign Ministers look forward to the Eighth Review Conference of the Convention in November this year agreeing on substantive measures that will significantly strengthen the Convention and contribute in a measurable way to reducing the threat of biological agents being used as weapons. We are committed to work hard and constructively to this end and call upon all States Parties to approach the Conference in a similar spirit and come ready to take the necessary decisions to ensure that the Convention serves its purpose in an effective and sustainable manner.