Biotechnology
and weapons - ICRC makes solemn appeal
Geneva (ICRC) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is today
issuing a public appeal on "Biotechnology, Weapons and Humanity" calling
for a reaffirmation of norms against biological weapons and for better controls
on potentially dangerous biotechnology. The call comes at the end of a two-day
conference hosted by the ICRC in Montreux, Switzerland, where government and
independent experts met to assess the risk of abuse of advances in this domain.
The ICRC is concerned that the many and rapid developments in biotechnology,
could be put to hostile use. At the Montreux meeting emphasis was placed on
threats that could potentially arise from new scientific developments rather
than on existing dangers. Alarm about such possibilities comes at a time when
States Parties to the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention are facing grave difficulties
in achieving progress at the Review Conference for this Convention which will
resume in November. The ICRC hopes that the Montreux conference and its Appeal
will serve to encourage States to reaffirm, fully implement and strengthen existing
prohibitions on biological warfare in light of rapid scientific advances.
The ICRC appeal calls on all political and military authorities, the scientific
and medical communities, and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries
to "work together to subject potentially dangerous biotechnology to effective
controls". The appeal calls for a high level reaffirmation of existing
prohibitions on poisoning and on the deliberate spread of disease, in particular
the 1925 Geneva Protocol and the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention. The appeal
also calls on national authorities to ensure that these prohibitions are known
and respected by members of their armed forces and to prosecute those who contravene
them. The scientific community and biotech industry are urged to "adopt
professional and industrial codes of conduct aimed at preventing the abuse of
biological agents".
The ICRC's appeal was formally presented to the conference by ICRC President
JakobKellenberger.
The full text of the ICRC appeal, with additional information regarding both
the Montreux conference and related issues, can be found on the ICRC's Biotechnology,
Weapons and Humanity web-page (accessible on www.icrc.org)
or by calling the ICRC press unit (++4122730 20 88 or ++41 22 730 23 09).
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