Canada

Canada proposes that States Parties agree to

• Promote action on national implementation and encourage the development of specific goals, time lines and methodologies to facilitate effective implementation
• Encourage States Parties to regularly report on their progress in passing national implementing legislation, such as at annual meetings and in their Confidence Building Measure submissions
• Encourage those in a position to do so to provide implementation support.
• Consider national implementation at each annual meeting, complemented as necessary by consideration of biosafety and biosecurity
• Establish a BWC Secretariat, or “implementation support unit,” mandated to track implementation, prepare an annual overview of the status of national implementation, and work with States Parties to improve performance in implementation, including by providing assistance in drafting legislation and regulations

European Union

The EU proposes that States Parties agree to

• Focus on national implementation and enforcement of legislative and administrative measures at each annual meeting from 2007 to 2010
• Develop and keep up-to-date a catalogue of already implemented and proven practices by States Parties, including national biosafety/biosecurity laws and regulations, as a useful tool for assisting those members who still need to develop their laws and regulations, enabling those members who already have implemented measures to determine if gaps exist, and offering guidance on filling those gaps. Such a catalogue would provide necessary coherence in these efforts from the sub-national to the supranational levels

The EU also proposes that the States Parties agree to establish and finance a BWC Secretariat, or “implementation support unit,” that would

• Act as a “clearing house” to match requests for assistance with national implementation, Confidence Building Measures and biosecurity with offers of assistance

• Maintain a reference collection of existing national implementing legislation, model legislation, international standards, guidelines, and other resources, provide an annual overview of new enacted national legislation, and provide basic advice to members on drafting relevant legislation

Latin American Group

The Latin American Group proposes the creation of a “support facility” that would provide assistance to States Parties on domestic legislation when requested and develop a database on national standards and legislation related to the Convention

Japan

Japan, having consulted with other members of the JACKSNNZ group, proposes that various “elements of relevant national measures considered appropriate to ensure the full and effective implementation of the Convention” be included in the review language on relevant provisions of the BWC. These elements include:

• Enactment of effective legislative measures, including penal legislation
• Enhancement of national legislation through extension of penal legislation to actions taken by nationals abroad
• Promotion of legal assistance where appropriate
• Full implementation of UNSC Resolutions 1540 and 1673
• Enactment of national legislative and administrative measures for export controls and enhancement of their implementation
• Promotion of educational outreach to domestic industry about national export control systems
• Legislation or regulations for the security and oversight of pathogens and toxins, with penalties if necessary
• Effective operation of biosafety/biosecurity measures at the laboratory level through standardization and promulgation of a series of biosecurity measures and encouragement of continuous and systematic training of laboratory workers
• Enhancement of national disease surveillance (including mandatory reporting and early detection and notification), response, investigation and mitigation capabilities in cooperation with relevant regional, sub-regional and international organizations
• Coordination with international mechanisms responsible for surveillance and reporting, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
• Enhancement of and coordination with existing initiatives relevant to bioterrorism, such as those in the framework of the Global Health Security Initiative, APEC, Interpol and etc,
• Development of education programs regarding international norms and bioweapons related issues
• Encouragement of the development and promulgation of codes of conduct

Japan also proposes that further enhancement of national implementation be pursued during an intersessional process between the Sixth and Seventh Review Conferences by:

• Encouraging necessary assistance for enacting or enhancing appropriate national measures, on a voluntary basis, to those members who request it, from other member states or regional, sub-regional and international organizations
• Establishing or designating national points of contact for facilitating communication between member states and the BWC Secretariat (or “implementing support mechanism”)
• Sharing of information and lessons-learned from past and ongoing assistance efforts
• Continuing discussions at the expert level on appropriate national measures in regular meetings
• Reviewing the achievements of these efforts and deciding on further actions at the Seventh Review Conference in 2011

Norway

Norway, having consulted other members of the JACKSNNZ group, proposes a Secretariat, or an “implementation support unit,” that could function as a clearing house for technical cooperation on legislation, biosafety and biosecurity and facilitate technical cooperation between members at their request.

New Zealand

New Zealand, having consulted other members of the JACKSNNZ group, proposes that topics for discussion at annual meetings include implementation and further development of biosafety and biosecurity practices at national, regional, and multilateral levels.