ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the more recent efforts to develop a Verification Protocol for the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), with particular focus on activities which have taken place within the Ad Hoc Group during 1996. There is widespread agreement that declarations would form a useful component of a future legally-binding instrument to verify compliance with the BTWC. Many delegations agree that the BTWC can only be strengthened by a combination of measures, including some form of on-site activity. The Ad Hoc Group has made significant progress towards fulfilling the mandate given by the Special Conference, including by identifying a preliminary framework and elaborating basic elements of a legally-binding instrument to strengthen the BTWC. There is little doubt that the BTWC has contributed so far to a relatively low proliferation of BW. With the Chemical Weapons Convention approaching entry into force, tighter controls of nuclear weapon technology, and developments in biotechnology, BW may become a more available option.
