The Regional Africa Parliamentary Workshop brought together prominent Legislators and several Government officials from Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Tanzania for a two day period to discuss and review the Biological & Toxin Weapon Convention (BTWC), in particular its significance in the context of the African  community with a view to identifying a range of practical steps and initiatives that could be taken to promote ratification and implementation of the BTWC in their respective countries.

Also participating at the workshop were the UN Resident Representative, a Representative from UNDP, the High Commissioner of Canada to Sierra Leone (via video), the High Commissioner of Nigeria, a Representative from the High Commission of the United Kingdom, a Representative from the Embassy of the United States, the Chief of the Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the Biological Weapons Convention, via Skype Link from UNODA/UNOG Geneva as well as Sierra Leone CBRN National Focal Point of the European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Centre of Excellence (CoE) Initiative.

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the development, production and stockpiling of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction, was opened for signature on 10 April 1972 and entered into force on 26 March 1975. 178 countries have joined the BWC to date. Namibia is currently a non- State Party to the BWC. In light of growing concern in recent years regarding efforts by Non State Actors, including terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram, Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda affiliates and ISIS, to manufacture and use biological weapons, a renewed international effort to improve the universality and national implementation of the BWC is now underway.

This PGA Regional Africa Workshop was hosted by the House of Parliament of Sierra Leone, and kindly supported by the Government of Canada’s Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. The purpose of the Workshop was to enable participating Members of Parliament from 11 African Nations, and several Government Officials, to share with their colleagues the current thinking and position in their respective countries in connection with the Biological & Toxin Weapon Convention.

The main focus of the workshop was to raise awareness and understanding surrounding the importance of become a State Party to this vital international Convention as well as taking all necessary steps to ensure its robust implementation. In recognition of the resurgent importance of the BWC. And just in the past 12 months,  with active, decisive and catalytic engagement by PGA Members in all countries, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea and Liberia, in Africa alone, have all become States Parties to this 45 year old Treaty.

During the course of the 2 Day Workshop, both in formal presentations and during the highly participatory Interactive Dialogue segments, all of the MPs present gave precise information on the current status of the BWC in their respective countries as well as steps they are currently undertaking to promote ratification or implementation of the BWC, as appropriate.

At the conclusion of the Workshop, a highly focused and time specific Plan of Action was adopted to facilitate all crucial follow up actions by all participants, in the aftermath of this Workshop.

All participants undertook, inter alia, to report back to PGA on what steps they have been able to take pursuant to the Plan of Action within a 3 month period from the date of conclusion of the Workshop.

In parallel, individual/bilateral follow-ups and technical assistance will also be provided by PGA Secretariat Staff in New  York and The Hague.