Bacteriological Weapons Convention of 1972

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), signed in 1972, is an international treaty that prohibits the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, or transfer of biological weapons. It also bans equipment designed to use biological agents for hostile purposes. The convention went into effect in 1975, with the aim of preventing the use of biological weapons in warfare.12

While the BWC established a norm against biological weapons, it lacks provisions for verification, making compliance difficult to monitor. This has led to concerns about potential violations, as biological weapons can be easily concealed. The BWC built upon the earlier Geneva Gas Protocol of 1925, which banned the use of chemical and biological weapons in war but did not prohibit their development or stockpiling.12