Biological Weapons Convention is an international treaty designed to prevent the production and use of biological agents to spread disease among people. The use of such agents as weapons is called germ warfare.
The treaty is officially called the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction. It went into effect in 1975. By 2018, about 180 nations had formally approved the treaty, fully accepting its terms and obligations.
The treaty prohibits countries from possessing large amounts of biological agents or toxins (poisons), and the weapons systems to deliver them. Nations also may not trade biological weapons or help other countries develop them. Both the United States and the Soviet Union conducted experiments to produce biological weapons during the Cold War, a period of hostility between those countries after World War II (1939-1945). Both nations formally approved the Biological Weapons Convention in the 1970’s.
The treaty does not provide for means of verification or enforcement. Nations merely agree to abide by it in good faith. In the early 2000’s, the Implementation Support Unit was created to help participating nations comply with (obey or follow) the treaty. In addition, several governments and other groups were working to create methods of inspection and verification.
