Mr. Chair,

Thank you very much. India appreciates the hard work and leadership of Ms. Grisselle Rodríguez of Panama in steering our work under the MX5 on institutional strengthening of the Convention and for the report of the meeting which we welcome. India associates itself with the statement delivered by the distinguished coordinator of NAM on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Mr. Chair,

Any convention is only as effective as the strength and effectiveness of its institutions.It is widely acknowledged that the BWC lacks proper institutional support and hence the need for institutional strengthening cannot be emphasized enough.Institutional strengthening requires work on various aspects of the Convention, some of which have been touched upon under the Meetings of Experts 1 to 4.

Mr. Chair,

As of today, 183 States are party to BWC.Universalization thus remains as one of the major challenges in effective implementation of the Convention and we encourage continued efforts to promote universality of the Convention. India believes that one of the major incentives for joining the Convention is the opportunity for State Parties to receive assistance and protection against the malicious use of biological agents.In this context, an ArticleVII database and guidelines for requesting and rendering assistance acquires salience and was deliberated in some details under the previous Meeting of Experts.

Mr. Chair,

With rapid developments in science and technology, resulting in ease of access to dual-use technologies, to various non-state actors, the threat from bio-terrorism has grown.This requires Member States to put in place robust export controls.The establishment of a scientific review mechanism is yet another essential component that needs our collective attention. Article VI allows a State Party to request the UN Security Council to initiate an investigation into alleged breaches of the BWC by another State Party. India has maintained that issues related to alleged use should be addressed by the States Parties in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.Unlike the Chemical Weapons Convention, BWC lacks a technical Secretariat.While the Implementation Support Unit has been doing commendable work, it lacks adequate resources both financial and human, and may not be able to meet effectively the growing demands on the Convention, and the increasing expectations of the States Parties.There is thus a need to strengthen the ISUand place it on a strong and sustainable footing. India has also underlined the need for strengthening the intersessional process, particularly, the meetings of States Parties andreinforce their authority for making and implementing effective decisions rather than waiting for the review conference every five years.

Mr. Chair,

India has been calling for institutional strengthening of the Convention through negotiation of a comprehensive and legally binding protocol providing for an effective, universal and non-discriminatory verification mechanism to strengthen the implementation of the Convention by States Parties.While recognizing that there is no consensus on commencing negotiations for a legally binding protocol at present, India strongly believes that the long-term sustainability of the Convention should be rooted in legally binding measures in accordance with the recommendations of the successive review conferences. India would like to underscore the value of coordination and cooperation with relevantInternational organizations such as WHO, OIE,OPCW, FAO etc. and encourage such cooperation.No institution can work without the requisite financial resources.We must ensure the financial health of the Convention by ensuring both stability and predictability and availability of resources.

Mr. Chair,

India stands ready to work with fellow States Parties for institutional strengthening of the Convention in order to effectively implement all provisions of the Convention.

I thank you, Mr. Chair, and hope the interpreters are happy with my pace of speaking.