The following joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of Hungary, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States was delivered by Ambassador György Molnar (Hungary) at a plenary session of the United Nations First Committee at UN Headquarters in New York on October 17, 2016. States Parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention will hold their Eighth Review Conference in Geneva November 7-25, 2016, and Ambassador Molnar will serve as its President.
“The Foreign Ministers of Hungary, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States underline the fundamental importance of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention as a key pillar of international security and of the pressing need to enhance its effectiveness.
The Foreign Ministers look forward to the Eighth Review Conference of the Convention in November this year agreeing on substantive measures that will significantly strengthen the Convention and contribute in a measurable way to reducing the threat of biological agents being used as weapons.
We are committed to work hard and constructively to this end, and we call upon all States Parties to approach the Conference in a similar spirit and come ready to take the necessary decisions to ensure that the Convention serves its purpose in an effective and sustainable manner.”
In his national capacity, Ambassador Molnár introduced briefly the draft resolution on the BWC. Hungary, following the practice of previous years, after extensive open ended informal consultations has submitted a draft resolution on the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and Their Destruction. The goal is to have the resolution adopted by consensus.
