In cooperation with the National Assembly of Trinidad and Tobago and it's PGA National Group, chaired by Senator Wade Mark, and with the support of Global Affairs Canada, PGA organized a Regional Caribbean Parliamentary Workshop to promote Universality and Implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention and Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) in the National Assembly of Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain from 29-30 April, 2019.
This Workshop convened prominent Parliamentarians from 11 countries across the Caribbean region, together with regional and international experts from the BWC Implementation Support Unit of the BWC, an Expert from the Group of Experts of the UNSCR 1540 Commitee, the UNSCR 1540 Regional Coordinator, as well as a representatives from The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the National Contact Point for the BWC in the Ministry of Health of Trinidad and Tobago and from Global Affairs Canada.
During the course of the two day Workshop, the Parliamentary Participants were able to benefit from extensive briefings relating to both international frameworks with regular interactive dialogue sessions to allow for wide ranging questions and answer sessions among all participants.
A particular point of importance was highlighting the extensive existing mandates and practice already in place in UN Security Council Resolutions, in particular UNSCR 2325 (2016), the Comprehensive Review Document of the UNSCR 1540 (2016) and more recent Statements, Reports and annual Programs of Work of the UNSCR 1540 Committee. PGA Member Parliamentarians have, in parallel, been extensively involved, with some measure of success, in promoting universality and implementation of the BWC in the past 3.5 years. A special focus is now on Haiti where PGA Members in the Parliament are attempting to make progress to allow for parliamentary ratification of the BWC, it is hoped, during the course of 2019.
At the conclusion of the Workshop, the Port of Spain Plan of Action was adopted, including a number of practical suggested steps for participant Parliamentarians to consider taking within their respective Parliaments to promote Universality and Implementation of the BWC, as appropriate and Implementation of UNSCR 1540 (2004).
All Participants were also kindly invited to a Session of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago by PGA National Group Chair shortly after the end of the Workshop where the Delegation was officially recognized by the President of the Senate.
At the request of several participants, both at the Workshop and in subsequent written correspondence with PGA, PGA is currently formulating a set of strategic follow-up National Parliamentary Training Sessions to harness the considerable momentum generated by this Workshop.
Serious, concrete follow-up initiatives taken pursuant to the Port of Spain Plan of Action has already been undertaken by the Host Country and, it is hoped, will be replicated with similar such steps by Participants from the other.
Additional information on PGA's Global Parliamentary Campaign to Promote Universality and Implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention and Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) may be viewed here.
