Biological Weapons Convention
Confidence Building Measures

Confidence Building Measures (CBMs)

At the Second Review Conference of the States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (held in Geneva from 8 to 26 September 1986), participants agreed that it was desirable to increase the transparency of biological activities, and thus increase the confidence in their bona fide nature. Four Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) were developed and adopted by the Conference, which encouraged exchange of information about certain biological facilities. At the Third Review Conference of the States Parties (held in Geneva from 9 to 27 September 1991), it was agreed to expand those CBMs to include three further measures on exchange of information on biological defence research and development programmes, including summaries of objectives and costs of efforts performed by contractors and in other facilities.

The seven CBMs adopted in 1986 and 1991 are:

1. Exchange of data on research centres and laboratories that meet very high national or international safety standards, established for handling, for permitted purposes, biological materials that pose a high individual and community risk or specialise in permitted biological activities directly related to the Convention.
2. Exchange of information on all outbreaks of infectious diseases and similar occurrences caused by toxins that seem to deviate from the normal pattern.
3. Encouragement of publication of results of biological research directly related to the Convention, in scientific journals generally available to States Parties, as well as promotion of use for permitted purposes of knowledge gained in this research.
4. Active promotion of contacts between scientists engaged in biological research directly related to the Convention, including exchanges for joint research on a mutually agreed basis.
5. Declaration of legislation, regulations or other measures taken to implement the Convention, including (i) implementation of prohibition on the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition or retention of microbial or other biological agents, or toxins, weapons, equipment and means of delivery, specified in Article I; and (ii) export and import controls.
6. Declaration of past activities in offensive and/or defensive biological research and development programmes since 1 January 1946.
7. Declaration of facilities, both governmental and non-governmental, producing vaccines licensed for the protection of humans.

At the time, it was hoped that these CBMs would increase transparency of biological activities in a State Party and thus strengthen the Convention. In reality, they have had very limited effect, at least in part because participation has been poor. For example, only 87 States Parties have provided CBM data since 1987, and only 40 or so States Parties have been submitting CBM returns each year in recent years.

The CBMs will only succeed in strengthening compliance with the BWC and enhancing confidence in its implementation if they are supported by States Parties, through the annual submission of CBM declarations. Based on discussions during the two Regional Workshops, the submission of annual CBM declarations provides a very good startiung point to enhance regional cooperation in implementation of the Convention.

Example of an Annual CBM Declaration

Australia's 2004 CBM (pdf 212KB) declaration provides one example for other States Parties seeking to meet their CBM reporting obligations under the BWC.

CBM Forms

Blank CBM Forms (doc 68KB) are available for use by States Parties in preparing their declarations.