Call on chemical and biological weapons
TREATIES: Academics have contributed to a report by six experts warning that the treaties intended to protect the world against the threats of chemical and biological weapons are in need of strengthening.
The report highlights the wide spectrum of chemical and biological threats that are facing the globe.
ACADEMICS IN Yorkshire have contributed to a new report by six leading experts warning that the international treaties intended to protect the world against the threats of chemical and biological weapons are in urgent need of strengthening.
The report highlights the wide spectrum of chemical and biological threats facing the globe and proposes concrete recommendations for the UK and other nations.
University of Bradford academics have contributed to the report, which calls for measures to strengthen the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC).
This comes in the lead-up to a major conference of the BTWC this year before a summit of the CWC is staged in 2023.
In regard to the CWC, Dr Michael Crowley, of Bradford University, said: “The threats posed from the weaponisation of toxic chemicals are real and multifaceted including repeated chemical weapon attacks by Syria upon its own people – chemical assassination operations in Malaysia, Russia and the UK – and troubling state interest in law enforcement weapons employing central nervous system-acting chemicals.
“In addition, we have witnessed widespread misuse of tear gas by police forces across the world including against Black Lives Matter protestors, risking their health particularly in the midst of Covid-19.
“This situation could worsen with the proliferation of tear gas drones and other wide area dispersal mechanisms.”
Dr Simon Whitby, also of Bradford University, added: “It is essential that states parties (countries which adhere to the conventions) promote the full and effective implementation of the (BTWC) Convention by enhancing its institutional capacity, developing compliance mechanisms, establishing a systematic process for assessing the security risks and benefits of life science advances.
“The development of an agreed biological security code of conduct can help facilitate life sciences engagement with the convention.”
Dr Brett Edwards of Bath University, also made calls for tightening measures highlighted in the report, Biological and Chemical Security After Covid-19: Options for Strengthening the Chemical and Biological Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Regimes.
He said: “It is vital for both its own and international security that the UK works constructively with like-minded states to directly address all instances of the weaponization of toxic chemicals and deliberate use of disease as a weapon, wherever and in whatever form they take.”
Meanwhile, Professor Lijun Shang, the project leader at London Metropolitan University, added: “The pandemic and the recent uses of chemical weapons should remind us all of the importance of chemical and biological security.
“It is crucial for good governance that the public and parliamentarians are well informed and aware of the potential ways forward to prevent benignly-intended science and technology being used for nefarious purposes.”
Organisations such as Amnesty International have highlighted the use of chemical attacks in Syria, including one in April 2017, in Idlib, which it reports killed more than 80 people and injured hundreds.
The threats posed from the weaponisation of toxic chemicals are real. Dr Michael Crowley, University of Bradford.