Download Committee: Disarmament and International Security

Committee: Disarmament and International Security
Topic Area A: The Threat of Biological and Chemical Warfare
Country: Russian Federation
Delegates: Emily Carroll and Joe Messersmith
The Russian Federation feels that the issue of chemical and biological warfare remains of the utmost
importance today. The potential for the deployment of chemical and biological weapons remains a
possibility that the international community must be prepared for. International response systems are
woefully unprepared for such an event and there must be a global plan for response. It is the responsibility
of each nation in the Disarmament and International Security Committee to work towards an integrated and
multifaceted solution on this pressing issue.
The Russian Federation has long been active in its concern for reducing the possibility of the threat
of chemical or biological warfare. Historically, the Soviet Union did maintain an offensive biological and
chemical weapons program. However, this program was dismantled during the early 1990s. The Russian
Federation signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of
Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction April 10, 1972 and ratified the
convention March 26, 1975. As party to the convention, Russia has met its entire obligation. Russia is
currently one of three international depository sites for biological weapons. In addition, the Russian
Federation signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use
of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction January 13, 1993. Since its ratification November 5, 1997,
the Russian Federation has strictly followed the protocol and guidelines laid out in the Convention. Russia
has played a leading role in moving the international community away from chemical weapons, hosting
chemical weapons destructions facilities.
Russia today continues to lead the international community in both areas. Russia is no longer
developing biological weapons, and currently is hosting four former military facilities that have been
transformed into depositories. Russia regularly participates in confidence building measure according to the
Biological Weapons Convention. Any claims of biological weapons development in the Russian Federation
misinterpret research conducted for prophylactic, protective, and peaceful proposes, as encouraged in the
BWC. Russia has met it’s guidelines for destruction of chemical weapons in the Chemical Weapons
Convention. Currently, Russia has destroyed forty-five percent of its forty thousand ton arsenal in its
chemical weapons destructions facility. Russia is working towards meeting its goal of destroying one
hundred percent of its chemical weapons by 2012. However, recent estimates may push the deadline back to
2015. Russia is prioritizing safety over political deadlines to ensure that chemical weapons are safety
destroyed.
The best course of action for the United Nations today is to encourage participation in both the
Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention. Both conventions are effective
and can help the international community eliminate biological and chemical weapons once and for all.
Russia emphasizes encouraging nations to continue working towards peaceful uses of former research to
ensure that information does not fall into the hands of those who would use it for offensive purposes. In
addition, the Russian Federation feels that the United Nations should urge nations to prepare a response
program for an incident with chemical or biological weapons. However, Russia does not feel that one singly
response plan should be prepared, as to do so would sacrifice the specificity and insight each nation can
provide.