Agenda item 5:

CBM submissions in terms of quantity and quality

Info Briefing by the BWC ISU

Daniel FeakesChiefBWC Implementation Support UnitUnited Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (Geneva Branch)

Meeting of Experts 3 (MX3) on strengthening national implementationGeneva, 13 August 2018

• Background info

• Status of CBM submissions

• Observations by the ISU on CBM submissions received

• Presentation of the new eCBM facility

Overview

• Second Review Conference in 1986 agreed that States Parties are to implement a system of Confidence Building Measures

• Purpose of the CBMs is to prevent or reduce the occurrence of ambiguities, doubts and suspicions, and to improve international cooperation in the field of peaceful biological activities

• Subsequent Review Conferences have urged and called upon all States Parties to submit annual CBM reports, as have relevant resolutions been adopted by the UNGA

• In accordance with the decision of the Sixth Review Conference, the ISU supports the exchange of the CBMs and maintains the electronic versions of the CBM forms on the BWC website

Background

• “How to enable fuller participation in the CBMs” (addressed as biennial agenda item in 2012 and 2013)

• 11 Working Papers submitted by States Parties 2012-2013

• Common Understandings Reached by the MSPs relating to national implementation of the Convention (see BWC/MSP/2018/MX.3/2, Annex II, paragraphs 105-112)

• Submission rate has increased and ranged between 41 and 46 percent between 2014 and 2017

Intersessional Programme 2012-2015

73 CBMs submitted as of 12.08.2018 (third highest number of submissions)

Status CBMs 2018

• Less than half of all States Parties having regularly exchanged CBMs

• The majority of those States Parties which participate do so on a regular basis

• Submissions vary considerably in volume (between 1 and 285 pages)

• Several States Parties participate irregularly, and 57 States Parties (31%) have never submitted a CBM

• Despite encouragement from the Meetings of States Parties in 2012 and 2013, the ISU has received little information from States Parties that have not participated regularly in the CBMs or have never participated, on the specific reasons on why they do not participate

ISU Observations on CBMs in terms of quantity

031%

1 to 1037%

11 to 2011%

21 to 3015%

more than 306%

CBM Submissions by States Parties since 1987

0 1 to 10 11 to 20 21 to 30 more than 30

• ISU is not mandated to review the validity of the informationprovided in the CBMs

• General observations regarding 2018 CBM submissions:• A few States Parties make still use of the old CBM Forms or

submit national forms

• Different practices by States Parties on contents submitted:• General statement (no CBM, no Form 0)

• Submission of select CBM Measures (only new information)

• All CBM Measures A-G

• Information provided in Form 0 sometimes incomplete orunclear

• Different understandings among States Parties on whatconstitutes a Declaration

• Information reflected in Form 0 does not always corroboratewith information in the CBM Measures

ISU Observations on CBMs in terms of quality

• Seventh Review Conference decided ‘that the Implementation Support Unit shall, in cooperation with States Parties, continue to examine and develop options for electronic means of submission of CBMs’ (BWC/CONF.VII/7, Part III, para 25 (c)

• States Parties agreed to work to further develop electronic means of submissions (see Common understandings MSPs 2012 and 2013 paragraphs 106 (e) and 112 (b)

• ISU presented an early prototype during the 2014 Meeting of States Parties – project standstill due to expiry of EU Council Decision 2012/421/CFSP in January 2015

• Voluntary contributions made by Germany in November 2017 and the EU under its Council Decision 2016/51

• Re-development of the platform with state of the art open source software in close collaboration between ISU, ICTS/UNOG and external IT developer

• Testing of prototype in early 2018 by experts from ten States Parties; ICTS carried out in April 2018 a security penetration test of the newly developed electronic database (passed successfully)

Background new eCBM Facility

• Implementation of the same conceptual principles that are implemented on the BWC website

• Creation of electronic web-forms in line with CBM Forms approved by the Seventh Review Conference

• New platform facilitates the electronic submission of CBMs in all six languages

• Application provides limited search capabilities on CBMs for States Parties

• eCBM facility facilitates a more consistent approach in the manner and format in which information is submitted by States Parties

• Application serves as a repository of all CBMs submitted since 1987

• Voluntary use by States Parties for the 2019 CBM submissions

• Feedback and suggestions on the new platform to the ISU

New eCBM Facility

eCBM Facility website www.bwc-ecbm.unog.ch

eCBM Facility Basic statistics

eCBM Facility Publicly available CBMs of a State Party

eCBM FacilityOverview Form 0

eCBM FacilitySearch function (for States Parties only)

eCBM FacilityCBM report creation

eCBM FacilityFilling out Form A Part 1

eCBM FacilitySample of a Test Report Measure E

Conclusions

• CBM submissions by States Parties has increased over the years

• Overall level of participation remains low with less than half of all States Parties having regularly exchanged CBMs

• Four States Parties (Canada, Cuba, UK, US) have made CBM related assistance offers under Article X

• ISU stands ready to assist States Parties in the preparation and submissions of CBMs

For more information …

www.unog.ch/bwc

Or contact:

BWC Implementation Support UnitUnited Nations Office for Disarmament AffairsPalais des NationsGenevafax: +41 (0)22 917 0483e-mail: bwc@un.orgWebsite: www.unog.ch/bwcTwitter: @BWCISU Facebook: www.facebook.com/1972BWC