"The Eighth Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction concluded its three-week session on Friday 25 November 2016. The Conference, which was presided over by Ambassador Gyorgy Molnar of Hungary, adopted a Final Document, which includes a Final Declaration on the articles of the Convention and a series of decisions and recommendations," the statement said.
The Eighth Review Conference would hold annual meetings every year before 2021, when the Ninth Review Conference was expected to take place, and agreed to renew the sponsorship programme to support participation of the state parties to the convention in such annual meetings.
The BWC is the first disarmament agreement, which bans "the development, production and stockpiling" of an entire weapon category, according to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). The Treaty was open for signature in April 1972 and entered into force on March 26, 1975. Since then, the States Parties to the convention had participated in eight Review Conferences.
