Centro de Estudios sobre No Proliferaction LTDA.

Published purpose

This project aims to hold a three-day “South American Conference on the United Nations Secretary General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons (UNSGM),” with the goal of increasing regional contributions to the UNSGM. The conference would be held in fall 2025 in Santiago, Chile. The conference will convene foreign policy officials, National Authorities of the CWC and BTWC and chem/bio security and non-proliferation experts from around Latin America, as well as organizations that assist in chemical and biological security capacity building such as UNODA, UNLIREC and CICTE/OAS. Of note, South America is the region which least contributes to the UNSGM but it has a significant pool of experts, consultants, and laboratories to support it. As such, by bringing together authorities and experts in biological and chemical security from around the region to discuss the UNSGM will ensure that stakeholders gain a better understanding of its justification, scope and procedures, its relationship with the work of OPCW and BTWC and its potential to contribute to the strengthening of national chem/bio security capabilities.