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List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention

List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention rather than just read about it. In short: The list of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention encompasses the states which have signed and ratified or acceded to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), a multilateral treaty outlawing biological weapons. On 10 April 1972, the BWC was opened for signature.

List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention — main illustration
List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention — illustration

Key takeaways

  • List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The list of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention encompasses the states which have signed and ratified or acceded to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), a multilateral treaty outlawing biological weapons. On 10 April 1972, the BWC was opened for signature. The Netherlands became the first state to deposit their signature of the treaty that same day. The treaty closed for signature upon coming into force on 26 March 1975 with the deposit of ratification by 22 states. Since then, states that did not sign the BWC can only accede to it. A total of 197 states may become members of the BWC, including all 193 United Nations member states, the Cook Islands, the Holy See, the State of Palestine and Niue. As of May 2025, 189 states have ratified or acceded to the treaty, most recently the Kiribati in May 2025. Additionally, the Republic of China (Taiwan), which is currently only recognized by 11 UN member states, deposited an instruments of ratification of the BWC with the United States government prior to the US's decision to switch their recognition of the sole legitimate government of China from the Republic of China (ROC) to the People's Republic of China (PRC). A further four states have signed but not ratified the treaty. Several countries made reservations when ratifying the agreement declaring that it did not imply their complete satisfaction that the BWC allows the stockpiling of biological agents and toxins for "prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes", nor should it imply recognition of other countries they do not recognise.

States Parties According to the treaties database maintained by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, as of May 2025, 189 states have ratified or acceded to the BWC. Multiple dates indicate the different days in which states submitted their signature or deposition, varied by location. This location is noted by: (L) for London, (M) for Moscow, and (W) for Washington D.C.

Notes

State with limited recognition, abiding by treaty The Republic of China (Taiwan), which is currently only recognized by 11 UN member states, deposited their instruments of ratification of the BWC with the United States government prior to the US's decision to switch their recognition of the sole legitimate government of China from the Republic of China (ROC) to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1971. When the PRC subsequently ratified the treaty, they described the ROC's ratification as "illegal". The ROC has committed itself to continue to adhere to the requirements of the treaty, and the United States has declared that they still consider them to be "bound by its obligations".

Signatory states The following four states have signed, but not ratified the BWC.

Notes

Non-signatory states The following four UN member states have neither signed nor ratified the BWC.

Notes

Succession of UK dependent territories When the United Kingdom ratified the BWC in 1975, it made a territorial declaration stating in part that the treaty would be applied:

"... in respect of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Dominica and Territories under the territorial sovereignty of the United Kingdom, as well as the State of Brunei, the British Solomon Islands Protectorate and, within the limits of the United Kingdom jurisdiction therein, the Condominium of New Hebrides [subsequently renamed Vanuatu]." This declaration bound its dependent territories of Dominica, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Vanuatu to the terms of the convention. Following their subsequent independence, their status with regards to the convention was initially unclear. According to the Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties, "newly independent states" (a euphemism for former colonies) receive a "clean slate", such that they do not automatically inherit the treaty obligations of their former colonial power, but may in most circumstances succeed to multilateral treaties to which their former colonizers were a party to without the consent of the other parties. All four states eventually formally submitted instruments of accession or succession to the convention.

Dominica After Dominica's independence in 1978, the Prime Minister of Dominica sent a note to the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UNSG) stating that:

“The Government of Dominica declares that, with regard to multilateral treaties applied or extended to the former British Associated State of Dominica, it will continue to apply such terms of each treaty provisionally and on the basis of reciprocity until such time as it notifies the depositary authority of its decision in respect thereof.” The Government of Dominica later stated that it did not consider itself bound by the Convention. However, Dominica was listed as a state party to the BWC in documents from the Meetings of the States Parties to the BWC. The UK Treaty Office (as depositary) did not receive an instrument of succession from Dominica until 2016.

Kiribati Following Kiribati's independence in 1979, the President of Kiribati sent a note to the UNSG stating that:

... the Government of the Republic of Kiribati declares that, with regard to multilateral treaties applied or extended to the former Gilbert Islands, it will continue to apply the terms of each such treaty provisionally and on the basis of reciprocity until such time as it notifies the depositary authority of its decision with respect thereto.” The Government of Kiribati later made statements suggesting that it did not consider itself a party to the treaty, before acceding as an independent state in 2025.

Tuvalu Following Tuvalu's independence in 1978, the Prime Minister of Tuvalu sent a note to the UNSC stating that:

"The Government of Tuvalu desires that it should be presumed that each treaty purporting or deemed to bind Tuvalu before Independence has been legally succeeded to by Tuvalu and that action should be based on such presumption unless and until the Government of Tuvalu decides that any particular treaty should be treated as having lapsed." The Government of Tuvalu later made statements suggesting that it did not consider itself a party to the BWC, before acceding as an independent state in 2024.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention: Participation in the Biological Weapons Convention[1] .mw-parser-output .col-begin{border-collapse:collapse;padding:0;color:inherit;width:100%;border:0;margin:0}.mw-parser-output .col-begin-small{font-size:90%}.mw-parser-output .col-break{vertical-align:top;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .col-break-2{width:50%}.mw-parser-output .col-break-3{width:33.3%}.mw-parser-output .col-break-4{width:25%}.mw-parser-output .col-break-5{width:20%}@media(max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .col-begin,.mw-parser-output .col-begin>tbody,.mw-parser-output .col-begin>tbody>tr,.mw-parser-output .col-begin>tbody>tr>td{display:block!important;width:100%!important}.mw-parser-output .col-break{padding-left:0!important}} .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}  Signed and ratified   Acceded or succeeded   Unrecognized state, abiding by treaty   Only signed   Non-signatory
Participation in the Biological Weapons Convention[1] .mw-parser-output .col-begin{border-collapse:collapse;padding:0;color:inherit;width:100%;border:0;margin:0}.mw-parser-output .col-begin-small{font-size:90%}.mw-parser-output .col-break{vertical-align:top;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .col-break-2{width:50%}.mw-parser-output .col-break-3{width:33.3%}.mw-parser-output .col-break-4{width:25%}.mw-parser-output .col-break-5{width:20%}@media(max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .col-begin,.mw-parser-output .col-begin>tbody,.mw-parser-output .col-begin>tbody>tr,.mw-parser-output .col-begin>tbody>tr>td{display:block!important;width:100%!important}.mw-parser-output .col-break{padding-left:0!important}} .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}  Signed and ratified   Acceded or succeeded   Unrecognized state, abiding by treaty   Only signed   Non-signatory

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention

In research
List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arms control treaties, Biological warfare, Lists of parties to treaties, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention in simple terms?

The list of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention encompasses the states which have signed and ratified or acceded to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), a multilateral treaty outlawing biological weapons. On 10 April 1972, the BWC was opened for signature.

Why does List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of parties to the Biological Weapons Convention.

Tags

  • Arms control treaties
  • Biological warfare
  • Lists of parties to treaties

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