Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Biological Weapons Convention

Fifty years ago, the international community took a historic step toward eliminating biological weapons. 

The entry into force on March 26, 1975, of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction – commonly referred to as the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) – attested to the determination of the international community to prevent the use of biological weapons by completely banning an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.  This ban is a fundamental cornerstone of global peace and security, keeping America and the world safe.

The BWC’s negotiation built on earlier efforts to prevent biological warfare, including the 1925 Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare.  Together, these momentous agreements reflect the conviction of the international community that the use of biological agents and toxins as weapons by anyone at any time – whether by State or non-State actors – is unacceptable. 

The United States remains firmly committed to the BWC and the international norm against use of biological weapons.  We unilaterally renounced biological weapons in 1969, before the BWC was negotiated, and over the past 50 years, we have remained a steadfast leader in and supporter of the BWC. 

Today, we seek to work with all responsible nations to address the threat of biological weapons and ultimately achieve a world completely free of this scourge.  We call on all States Parties to reaffirm their commitment to the Convention and to redouble their national, bilateral, and multilateral efforts to prohibit and prevent the development, acquisition, and use of biological weapons.  Our collective security demands no less.

As we commemorate the BWC’s last 50 years, the United States pledges to remain at the forefront of global efforts to eliminate biological weapons from the world once and for all.