Geneva, 28 November 2022. Cuba was elected Vice-President, representing the Non-Aligned Movement, of the Ninth Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Biological and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction. It began today in Geneva and will be in session until December 16th.
The Cuban delegation is headed by Rodolfo Benítez Verson, Director General of Multilateral Affairs and International Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is composed of Juan Antonio Quintanilla Román, Cuban Ambassador in Geneva and other officials of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The inaugural session of the meeting included messages from UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitzu.
Cuba has presented several working documents as a contribution to this event. Among its priorities, the Cuban delegation will denounce the effects of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States, which flagrantly violates the provisions of the Convention on International Assistance and Cooperation. Furthermore, Cuban delegation will promote the adoption of a legally binding Protocol that strengthens the Convention in a comprehensive manner, which includes provisions for its verification.
Cuba supports the total prohibition and elimination of weapons of mass destruction and has been a State Party to the Biological Weapons Convention since 1976. Our country has a robust national implementation system that guarantees the strict application of that instrument.
The Review Conference is the most important meeting in the context of the Biological Weapons Convention. It is held every five years to evaluate compliance with the Convention. There are currently 184 States Parties to the Convention.
Source: CubaMINREX